Sugar and Spite
by White Shade
Summary: Sequel to Once Upon a Deal. Rumpel and Maria are having a child, but fate holds so much more. Included are the stories of Baelfire, Belle, and Morraine in future chapters. Is it possible to have more than one true love? And what has Bae been doing while his father's back was turned? Rate may change.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Worth it**

Years passed, and I eventually settled into a village with Rumpel I could call home. I left behind some friends, but then again, we were all going our separate ways sooner or later. I had to say that my life was wonderful with him. Very often though, I saw a change in Rumpelstiltskin. He seemed different now that I was with him. Perhaps he thought marriage was not anything like when we were dating at all.

"Rumpel," I said softly one night when I could take it no longer. "What is wrong? You seem like you've become distracted." He was standing at his wheel where for once, regular silk was being spun.

I got no reply and this told me that there was something truly wrong with him. Rumpel just gave me this intent stare, as if I were some apparition or a ghost. Sighing, he returned to his work.

"Come on...say something," I pleaded with him, sitting in the hay. We were inside the house.

"Maria..." he ceased his work and looked up at me. "...there are some things better left undiscussed."

"Why aren't you spinning straw into gold...like you always did to fascinate me?" I asked. Once more, I received no reply and then it dawned upon me. I used a simple trick to hold the wheel in place.

Rumpelstiltskin stared at the ground...

"Where is your magic?" I asked, wearily. "You always repel my little tricks... Rumpelstiltskin..." I stood up, thinking perhaps he had lost it, though I didn't see how. He'd used it almost every day...when he had it.

I walked towards him, ready to apologize. "I am so sorry-"

"No no...Maria, it's okay," Rumpel interrupted. Then, more silence as I stopped, staring at him, but he still at the floor. "It was a price I was willing to pay."

"What price?" I demanded to know. Magic was a large part of his life, and now just to have it taken away, without any reason, seemed morally wrong. Not to mention suspicious.

"Look, I did this for us," he explained, coming towards me and placing a hand to my stomach. "To protect him..."

"Him?" I asked. "I'm confused. Rumpel, I'm not pregnant-"

"Oh, but you are," Rumpel corrected me. "I could see the future, dearie, and things aren't looking too good."

"What do you mean?" I asked, worried. Having known no information on the subject before, Rumpelstiltskin tried to explain something to me.

"Here's the thing, all right? There will be dark magic...coming sooner than I'd like. I want to be prepared-Let me finish," he held up a finger, knowing me too well. "I have foreseen it. There will be a cast of shadows placed upon the lands, and the Evil Queen will be the one to enact it...I already made her that deal."

"Rumpel," I couldn't help it, now I was right next to him, taking his hand and asking him to tell me everything else.

"I traded my magic for your safety," Rumpel finally told me. I gasped. "I told her I intended to protect you and she kind of looked at me in an odd fashion, but she agreed. She took my magic... and now you will be safe."

"What of you and this child I am supposed to have?" I asked, beginning to become riled up and concerned for him.

"Do not worry about me and Baelfire. I will find a way," he replied.

"Baelfire?" I asked. "What a unique name...I suppose I could go along with that... Rumpel, that's not the point! How could you do such a thing? What will happen to you. How will Baelfire fare out?"

"I was planning that for later," Rumpel told me. "I hadn't foreseen that far, but I do know one thing Maria...I love you with everything I have, which isn't much now, I realize that. I'm sorry if what I did was wrong, but I couldn't let the Evil Queen take you away from me..." I saw that glossy look about his eyes, so I embraced him in a hug, hoping he'd feel less weak.

I couldn't imagine what it was like. He had all that magic, and he gave it all away for some vision, just to keep me safe. Feeling lucky yet sorrowful, I looked at my stomach. Was I really pregnant?

"You didn't do anything wrong," I soothed, shutting my eyes to let tears run freely. "I will not let you and...Bae...be left alone."

At the time, I did not realize that there was no way I could keep the entirety of that promise.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: You Can't Leave Me**

When Baelfire was born, I will admit I wanted to die freely and willingly. I'd never experienced anything more painful than childbirth. Nonetheless, I was happy to see the boy grow to be two years old. Then, I began to feel oddly nauseous.

These feelings did not go away, and after I returned from a personal affair, I knew I had to tell Rumpel.

"I'm literally pissing my own death," I suddenly said, closing the door behind me. Rumpel looked up from the wheel, looking at Bae for a few moments wrapped in blankets then back at me.

"What do you mean?" he asked, ready to stand from his work.

"I mean, I'm pissing blood. Just pure...blood," I told him. "I think there is something wrong with that."

The weeks that followed were not much better. I could barely take care of Bae, and Rumpel ended up doing most of the work while I laid in bed, too weak and tired to do anything.

I felt awful from the inside out. Now, I felt as if Rumpel's sacrifice was in vein. I'd heard about this kind of thing happening to other women in town, and none of them ever recovered from whatever it was. No one even knows how it spreads or what causes it. Not that any of that mattered, because now Rumpel had no magic and my pain increased every day.

Whenever Bae wasn't crying or I wasn't pushing him to take care of Bae or himself, Rumpelstiltskin was at my bedside, refusing to leave me.

"Maria..." he said one night, tears filling his eyes. "What am I going to do? I have no idea how to raise a child!"

"Neither do I," I replied softly, closing my eyes part way. "I was just going with what I thought was right."

"Maria, I can't do this," he said. "There is no way. I need you here, with me...I can't do this on my own-"

"Shh, Rumpel..." I said, trying to get him to relax. "Listen to me for a moment. I love you. You and Bae...you'll be a matching pair. He's a part of me, do you understand that? I know you will do what you think is right for him...and that's all I could ever hope for."

"You can't die," he said right away. "I have nothing except Bae and you to hold me together. Maria, please, there has to be something. What I wouldn't give to still have my magic..."

"I think you'll get it back," I told him honestly. "I know you can do a fine deal. Become close to Baelfire, trust him, and love him. You'll be a great father, Rumpelstiltskin. I am not gone forever...I'll watch over you...both of you."

I stared at Baelfire's blankets where I wrapped him snug inside a few hours ago, too weak to do anything else.

"Don't say that, Maria..." his eyes were beginning to let tears fall, but I had to face my demise. "What am I without magic or a wife? I'm dust Maria, that's what I am."

I didn't say anything, fearing he was right about that. As a man in the village, he didn't have much to amount to if I was gone, and he had no special ability or talent. He'd given up his talent for me...and now I was here, on my deathbed.

Everything had gone to waste. Rumpelstiltskin was probably eating himself from the inside out about giving up his magic. There was no one able to help my sickness for almost nothing in return, so it seemed a lost cause.

"Just...come here," I said, wanting him with me every moment I had left. I had an idea, though it may not amount to much. "Give me your hand." He grasped my hand tightly with both of his, and then his head bent over.

I shut my eyes, thinking this was the last thing I'd ever do for him. If there was something anyone with magic needed to know, it was how to give it away. That's what I had to do. Even deep inside, I knew that Baelfire would take a lot from me, but maybe not the magic I possessed. I wanted Rumpelstiltskin to have his best leveling with Bae just in case.

My magic ran through my vains, and I could feel every last drop of it disappear from my system, and it was then I experienced only a portion of what those who have much more powerful magic go through when they lose their ability. A deep exhale...I was exhausted.

"What did you do?" he asked quickly, and I felt his eyes on me right away. I just needed to focus on breathing.

"If-if Bae-does have-any magic...you'll need mine."

When I opened my eyes again, I saw his hair had changed back a dull brown, his eyes still pleading with my condition.

"Maria..." he began sobbing after that, not saying anything else to me. I moved my body over so he could come into the bed with me.

"Please don't cry...It makes me feel even worse to leave you like this," I confessed.

"But, I don't want you to leave..." I felt a sudden spark of energy course through me like I had somehow conjured up a lightning storm. My body forced backwards, Rumpel jumped beside me, almost falling off the bed.

The energy continued moving until my head felt like it'd been struck with an arrow. I shut my eyes in panic, not understanding what was going on. Images flashed before me in random waves, and I remembered a lot of things about my childhood: my friends, Rumpel, even when I was born.

Everything went white.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Duty Calls**

Rumpelstiltskin looked around the room, both in shock and worry. There was beam of light forcing itself inside of Maria, and that made him uneasy. He'd thought this was it, her final moments, where Grimm was finally upon them, though he never anticipated the color to be white of purity. Perhaps Maria was going to heaven...

As soon as the light had appeared, it was gone without a trace. She was still breathing, but Rumpelstiltskin didn't understand. All his years of magic, he'd never seen anything like that.

"Rumpelstiltskin," a voice came from outside the window. He gasped, staring at the warlock who had performed the magic. The warlock smiled. "Long time, no see."

"Merlin?" Rumpel paused, staring in amazement at the man he remembered as a teenager back in Maria's home village. "Is that you, boy?" He hadn't seen Merlin since their wedding a year ago, and yes, the Pied Piper cried at that too.

The warlock jumped through the window, appearing inside.

"It's me," he proclaimed. "And when I heard about Maria, I had to do something."

"What did you do exactly?" Rumpel asked, hope pleading in his amber irises as he looked from Maria to Merlin.

"I learned a healing spell-a month ago," Merlin explained. "I thought it would work on her just right, seeing as though she had magic herself."

"She just...gave her magic to me," Rumpel contradicted. "Will this effect anything?"

Merlin's eyes widened, shaking his head quickly. "No, it's uh...actually better...you see, the magic had to be enhanced because Maria had magic so to counteract anything I had to have more powerful magic to override hers."

"Will she live?"

Merlin nodded his head after weighing the possibilities, satisfied with what he'd done. Rumpelstiltskin let out a long sigh, looking up towards the sky, grateful for everything that had just happened, relieved that Maria would live, and everything seemed like it would be okay now.

"But," Merlin began, averting his attention back to the warlock. "I think Maria should not be here. I know you saw something in the future, Rumpelstiltskin, and Maria can't be in the middle of this. In exchange for this act of my magic, I ask you to come out and join the army on the front lines. To fight against the ogres and help everyone. Maria is to come back to her home with her mother, who is gravely ill as well."

Rumpelstiltskin took a few moments to process everything Merlin had just told him. He'd have to fight in a war without his powers, and then return without Maria? Was Merlin crazy?

"What do I tell Bae?" he asked Merlin, gesturing to the pile of blankets. "If she is gone, how will I explain this to everyone? I can't put her in the middle of this. Not with what I saw. Perhaps Bae should go with you..."

"No, Rumpel. I can't have the child near his mother. I can't use magic on a baby, and he'll need a father in his life. Trust me, he'll need you more," Merlin replied. "I guess you could tell him that his mother died. It would have been the truth after all, had I not interfered. You must be separate from one another. No one can know she was even your lover. If you want her safe, this is what needs to be done. You know the Evil Queen..."

"She's causing this?"

"Wouldn't be surprised if she's at least involved."

After long, treacherous moments of silence and agonizing thought of what the future might bring, Rumpelstiltskin came to realize what was best, and the warlock was right. There was nothing he could do. War was his only option, though he was afraid of it now. He'd have to raise Bae, tell him that his mother was dead though she was actually in hiding under the protection of Merlin, in addition to possibly have to teach him the ways of magic.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Maria woke up as if none of her suffering had even occurred. Merlin and Rumpel explained the conditions to her, and after a painful understanding, she knew this was the right thing to do, even though she didn't quite fully understand what it was that Rumpelstiltskin saw in his vision that could cause such extreme circumstances.<p>

When it was time for Rumpel to head for war, Maria saw him off, Bae in her arms. He knew that when he returned, they'd still be there, but he wanted every last moment to count as he and Merlin headed for the castle.

"I'll be back," he said, as if he felt like there wasn't enough time. Maria kissed him goodbye, though each of them wanted that kiss to linger forever. Merlin urged Rumpel away, and she went back inside the house along with the other wives of those whose husbands also had to leave. Rumpelstiltskin looked back just in time to see her enter the house.

"Come on," Merlin said. "We've only got until nightfall to reach the bridge." He whooped the horse and they were off.

Rumpel only held one hand to the reins, thinking he didn't really much else. The horse didn't give him too much trouble. It was by the time they reached the bridge that everyone in the group realized that this was for real. They were reporting to sign up or confirm their arrivals. They were going to war, and there was nothing stopping them.

He stared into the fire, enhancing it with his magic, or rather, Maria's. He took an apple from his satchel and bit into it, sighing while he heard someone else rustling from the bushes. It was the man who'd just walked out into the woods a few moments ago.

"Miss 'em, yer folks?" the man asked. Rumpel smirked.

"That's one way to put it," he replied as the man sat down next to him.

"I'm okay with fighting, ya know? If I have to that is," the man rambled. "I got a wife and three children at home. I wanna show them that their father is brave and will do good for the castle and the royal family who dwells within its walls. What are you out here for?"

"Same reason as you," Rumpel said, keeping a straight face. "My wife and I had our first child two years ago. I hated to leave them, but duty calls I suppose."

"Two? Such a young age," the man pondered, rubbing his hands near the blaze. "What's yer name, fellow comrade?"

"Rumpelstiltskin," he replied. "And your name?"

"Gregg," the man said, and then Rumpel had a small flashback. He remembered a long time ago about a man named Gregg. He was involved in a deal between him and Maria without his knowledge. That is, until he went flying across the stage...

"Look, I'm just going to call you Rumpel," Gregg said. "It's a lot shorter, ya know? NO offense or nothin'. Jus' so I can recall you."

Rumpel simply nodded. The two men talked a while longer, though Rumpel realized he'd need rest for tomorrow's part of the journey. It would only be a few hours, but who knows what trouble they could run into, especially with the Evil Queen lurking about.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This chapter and the next are inspired by an episode of Grimm.

**Chapter Four: A Grimm Outlook**

As the sun began to rise, Merlin woke Rumpelstiltskin before the others. He saddled up his horse, still nervous about going to war. With the little magic Maria had given him, he knew how to use it to his full potential, but it wouldn't be enough to alter this battle. If the ogres turned to the upper hand, he didn't know what he would do. He worked at the magic some more, wondering why Maria never enhanced it any further than she had, for he soon came to realize she had some powerful roots. Her magic could have been almost as powerful as his was when he gave it up to save her.

Wondering of Maria and Baelfire became his distraction as the horses set out again. The ride seemed a whole lot shorter that way, and once they reached town, Merlin took them past gate after gate until they came into a room where they were to sit and wait.

Merlin and Rumpel talked, hoping to avert their minds from what was actually happening. It turned out Merlin worked for the royals now, though at such as young age he was an apprentice for a castle's healer, who also taught him the spell he used to save Maria.

"I'll never forget you, Merlin," Rumpelstiltskin said before all of them were requested in the hall before the king. "I thank you every day for what you've done for Maria."

Merlin nodded, thinking that Rumpel's situation was rather cruel. The only way he and Maria can ever truly be together safely is when the Evil Queen was gone forever. Until then, well they could sneak around, but even that was too risky. He'd have to raise Bae alone, and it would almost like if he were truly alone in the world.

The young warlock watched as all them, all those brave peasants who may surely sacrifice their lives, walked through the final doors before they'd be out on the battle front. He knew that Rumpel saw something in the battle no one else ever could...

He knew the end before it even began; damn, he kept a straight face about it all.

* * *

><p>The dawning day, and Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help but recall the lovely speech the prince had made about war and honor. It was rather annoying, but the prince had a voice that would stick out to <em>anyone<em>.

Overhearing whispers about the prince, Rumpelstiltskin joined in some of the gossip, for it kept life interesting. By the time he reached the soil, armed with naught but a sword and worn out shield, he stood firm. Gregg was beside him, wishing him the best of luck. All of them stared into the open field, awaiting their doom to come trudging through the vast field that would soon be painted in permanent red.

"There!" someone shouted. "I see them!" The crowd turned full face forward, and Gregg seemed shaken up already. This didn't make Rumpel feel any better.

He could see the ogres, and the final command would unleash pure chaos.

"Steady...steady..." The prince was withholding them until the last second. _Amateur_ Rumpel thought.

"CHARGE!"

The screams and grunts overshadowed whatever fear lie in anyone's nerves at this point. Everyone blindly followed the prince's command, running for the ogres at once; however, Rumpel knew better than this. Ogres weren't really the type of creatures to hold back. They were created to perform direct attacks and hold long grudges. They were crafty, but to an extent, and he was out to test the boundaries of the average ogre's intelligence.

Taking refuge into the trees, he saw at once that death was all that existed out here. There was nothing else, and he climbed a tree, thinking this would all be over soon enough and he could return home to Maria and Bae.

He set the shield up the tree from when he thought he might actually need it. The first ogres were already starting to appear in the forests around the field as well. There weren't too many in a group, but Rumpelstiltskin tried to conjure a plan before attacking. Using the little magic he possessed, he set a spark flying into the eyes of one ogre then stopped. The beasts around the attacked one expressed confusion as they tried to locate the source for what he hit their team mate. Rumpel sent out another spark, this time on the chest of the one furthest away from the first one he struck.

The group wandered around, and Rumpel quickly took note of their behaviors. They liked groups that was for sure. He then jumped down and struck full blown on the most isolated ogre, killing it rather easily. Now in their field of vision, he hid behind the trees, sending another spark above the branches and to land on another ogre. He peeked behind the truck to see that two had seen where he hid and were already advancing.

He took care of them while the others were still looking for the spark's source. After they were gone, Rumpel climbed back up the tree, making sure he was high enough to be stealthy. All those times with Maria and their little games were forming a use here. As he climbed higher, the smell of evergreen needles almost made him sneeze. No longer could he hear the sounds of the battlefield and the deathly shrieks of those who have already met a painful end. No, instead he heard the wind brushing past his ears, pushing his hair back with each stroke it offered into the air. His own heart, beating with a adrenaline fed energy, and the slight noise of the crackling branches as he held onto them for a few moments before gripping the next.

Artistically, his body shaped to the tree, and what he felt was natural. Having the sword was plenty; actually it was the only thing that didn't seem to fit. Lifting his own weight and landing on a high branch, Rumpel saw the next tree. The ogres never crossed his mind, he just jumped to the next branch, a tree over. He slipped, appearing as if he'd done so intentionally, for his arms rose to catch the branch and he swung himself around. His boots hit the narrow ledge of a stronger branch right up against the truck of the tree, where his hands formed around the bark to catch his balance. Inhaling deeply and calm, energy circulated throughout his body. Looking down at the ogres, it dawned upon him.

He _so_ had this.

Now multiple sparks emitted from his fingertips, sending embers into the eyes of a few other ogres to blind them temporarily. The man jumped to lower branches, readying his sword. The large group was in panic, all he had to do was wait. A few fell to the ground, and the others were becoming severely riled up. Oh, the pressure and aggravation they must be feeling!

He jumped on the other side of the tree trunk and then, they found him. He smiled, taking down one after the other, isolating each one by the use of the trees. They attacked in a group, but Rumpel ran towards a tree, running up the truck with a few steps and only his boots, flipped himself back over and already one of them had been hurt by the trunk. His sword pierced the back of the unlucky ogre who first attacked. His head ducked to dodge a swing from another, and he kicked the ogre in the knee, then swiped the sword around his body to cut through the leg, leaving this one to hobbling into the others.

Now, he felt like he had to give them the ring around. He ran around the trees, knowing these ogres would do anything to see him die, no matter which one of them did it. Rumpel climbed back up another tree, looking back more often just to make sure he could see what they were doing. One of them threw a knife up at him in the tree, but he missed by an inch, and Rumpel took the knife. More were thrown up at him, but he did whatever he could to dodge them. He threw back six of them, killing them with perfect slashes to the head.

Then, one of the ogres got so mad, he threw his sword up into the tree, but Rumpel soon realized it was not meant for him. Well, not directly. The branch he stood on was soon cracked, and he couldn't recoil himself fast enough. Losing his footing, Rumpel took three more knives and fell to the ground, twisting around his right leg in a rather unpleasant fashion. Screaming in pain to keep from thinking about the injury, he threw the other knives and killed the rest of the ogres, taking his own blade and sticking it into the ground.

He thrusted himself up, looking at his leg.

_Ooo now that doesn't look right_, he thought to himself. Not about to walk on it, he forced himself..._On the count of three._

_One...two...three! GAH!_

He twisted his leg back into a normal position, but not without falling first. Realizing he was vulnerable and dead meat for at least the next five minutes, Rumpelstiltskin lay there for a while, thinking of the pain and hoping it would just disappear. Managing to stand, he used the sword to hold himself. He analyzed the ogres, wondering what possessions they held. He picked through their pockets to find some useful items that he decided he would take back with him. Finding poison was the first thing he took, finding whatever he could on the ogres to carry the items came second.

The loot he collected included a glass bottle of what looked to be poison, some medicine he'd have Merlin look at for him, the best knife in the bundle of plenty to choose, a needle with white silk thread, a stone to help light a fire, gold coins filling half of a small bag, which was impressive to him, and red dye.

His amber eyes averted to the battlegrounds, where then he knew what this was about. Not just about pushing the ogres back but sending the lives of peasants out to do a knight's job. Now that he truly looked, the knights that had fallen didn't look like knights to him. His eyes looked back at what he had just done. He'd killed the lives of innocent creatures. In their eyes, it was they who were the enemies. They might have the same to fight for, but only one side could win. Now, he felt a sense of evil growing inside of him. It was vengeance like this he was almost fearful of. It provoked unnecessary deeds, and those who performed them in the blind following of the nobles were fools. He'd become a sort of assassin, controlled by those who knew they could control them, and he had no other choice but to obey.

Bravery, honor, it was all rubbish to him now. He never wanted any of this to happen, and he certainly knew that Bae should never have to know this. He had killed a group of ogres, and that was impressive to the kings sure enough, but to him, it was nothing but an evil that he had to live with every day. He now understood death at its worst, and it was hateful. It was unmerciful and dangerous...it would come for everyone on that field sooner or later.

He watched as hundreds of people were brought to the ground, left defenseless with only the last sounds of agony and the atmosphere of what they thought was proud yelling. the worst part of it all, they thought their death was worth while. Life was a precious thing, and it was obviously something the knights knew well. Well enough to get the peasants to do their dirty work for them. Magic is the only thing that saved him on the field today. The rest was luck.

Rumpelstiltskin grew angry at this thought, though he knew there was no other explanation. He was not about to die for something such as this. He had more important things to do than to die for a kingdom that was the meaning of cowardly. It was creating monsters of the people who would survive in the battle, if there were any. Already knowing the outcome, Rumpel simply played the part, but he honestly didn't think he'd be as good as he was on the field.

He needed his own magic back, but there was no way unless he retrained it with Maria's. He needed more though, and he knew he may never get it. Now realizing this was pointless, Rumpel did the only thing he could think of at that moment.

He dropped the sword and limped to a horse that had stopped near a puddle of water to drink, hopped up in the saddle with his left leg to do all the work, soothing the horse.

"Don't worry...we're getting out of here okay? Come on girl," he urged, nudging the horse with his left foot, hoping his leg wouldn't aggravate him the whole way. After looking one last time at the ogres, making sure he had everything that may be vital and could hopefully make his life a little better, Rumpelstiltskin turned the horse around.

As images of Maria and Bae ran freely in his mind, Rumpelstiltskin hoped this was the right thing...

And so he ran.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Drastic Measures**

The consequences may forever haunt him, but it was a fair price at the time. War only turned men into killers and blind loyalists, and that was not what Rumpelstiltskin wanted to show Bae. He knew the boy deserved better.

He rode into the night, coming upon a small village to rest. The money he acquired was plenty to get him through the night, and by morning, there was a ruckus in the village. Just as he'd predicted, with or without him on the battlefront, the ogres overcame the fight and won. There were many fatalities, but Rumpel had to put them aside, and he tried to not think about whether or not Gregg had survived.

As soon as time permitted, he was off again on the horse, and knowing exactly where he was going he saw his dwelling where he'd kept Maria a long time ago when the Evil Queen left scars upon her fragile skin. Rumpelstiltskin halted the horse, seeing the apple trees in perfect condition and enough room in the sides of the saddlebags to pick a few for the road. It was only a little while longer on horseback. The horse went for the water straight away, despite Rumpel being on her back, but he didn't mind at all.

Staring, remembering all the times he'd spent with Maria in this place. It was like their own safe haven, and perhaps he could still see her once and a while. Although the journey was more out of his way than hers, it'd be worth it for sure. All he had to do was refuse the little magic he had and maintain a horse. He could see her whenever he wanted so long as they wrote to one another to set up an arrangement. He planned to seal a code for whenever they wanted to meet again, something that both of them could remember.

It was better that he didn't step one foot into that place, knowing all too well he could become attached and then never want to leave. The place was still guarded by his own magic, back when he had it he had made the seal as strong as possible. So, they were safe there, but if the Evil Queen ever got wind of their meetings, she'd surely go for Maria again there was no doubt about that. Then, she'd have to stay in that place again, leaving him to fend for himself. In his state, that would prove rather difficult.

As he jumped off the horse, Rumpel continued this argument in his thoughts, wondering if it would be worth the risk. After eating a few apples and saving others, including a few yellow ones for Maria, he limped to the horse and gave it a while longer to rest.

When it was time to leave, he hopped back on and nudged the horse again with his left foot. He rode through Maria's village, announcing that she would return with Merlin when the time came, some could hardly believe they'd see him again. Just as he came to the blacksmith shop, he eyed the old blacksmith, Bryan. They knew each other well enough and all that was exchanged was a glance and a few blank stares.

The sounds of the hoofbeats became tranquil for the last few miles, for he could even see the village up ahead. It was sunset by now, and he couldn't wait to get back to Maria. Few who roamed the streets looked at him as he made his entrance, and he could already tell they knew about the fight.

He stopped the horse outside of the house and took his belongings off of her and he entered the house, looking for Maria, who was quietly sitting on the bed with Bae, and Merlin was on the floor.

She looked up quickly to see him, but the expression on her face wasn't what he expected at all.

"You ran Rumpel," Merlin said. "I know you ran."

Everything stopped. The dead silence was shameful to him, for he knew the price was already asking of him.

"Yes, Boy. I ran," Rumpelstiltskin admitted. "I ran because it was the right thing to do. I could have been killed Merlin, and everything we've established here wouldn't have worked."

"Rumpel," Maria set down Bae to give him a long hug. She pushed back the hair covering his face and kissed him as sweetly as she could. "I'm glad you're safe."

Merlin shut the windows and made sure the doors were locked. The welcoming home would have to wait.

"Look, you do know what this means," Merlin warned. "Everyone will find out, and you will be considered a coward among everyone in this village. Now, I know there was nothing you could do in that battle and I could tell by the look on your face you already knew what was coming. But now...now you have none of your own magic and soon you will not have a wife. I think we have someone hot on your trail, so to speak. If there is anything they can get on you, trust me they will."

Rumpelstiltskin stood silent as Merlin continued, flinching.

"Well, since you conveniently left the field of battle, we need to establish that Maria is leaving you. After all, no woman could stay with a 'coward'. That's also what you will tell Baelfire if he ever asks about his mother, and Maria, you must stay in that village with your mother. I don't want any chances of the Evil Queen discovering the spell I've put on you. She could kill you just as easily."

"You think someone is after me?" Rumpel asked. "Why would they be?"

Merlin sighed.

"I heard some people talking in the village. Something about dark magic and threats coming from the western parts of the country. We think She might be looking for you. I think she wants another deal."

"She can't get one. She took the magic I already possessed!"

"She wants more."

"Well, I can't get anymore, Merlin!"

"You have Maria's."

Rumpel stood aghast. Who told her that?

"_Never..._All right, fine I'll do it."

Maria nodded, being as close to Rumpelstiltskin as she possibly could. Rumpelstiltskin pulled her aside, away from Merlin, to discuss his plan for if they ever wanted to see each other. Maria couldn't believe this at first, but the plan seemed brilliant if they could pull it off once. Rumpelstiltskin thought he had a route planned out pretty well.

"We just need some kind of signal to each other. I will write to you and I hope you to me. I want us to have something that only we will recognize as a sign that we want to see each other," Rumpel explained.

"All right...how about the letters SIG, capitalized," Maria suggested. Rumpel looked at her confused, and he wondered what that was supposed to mean.

"Straw into gold...we could put that at the bottom of the letter and then put a date it backwards. Like, if I wanted to see you on October second, I'd write the number ten and then the number two, since normally that would be dated as two and then ten," Maria explained.

"Perfect," he agreed to this. "So...SIG and then the date." She nodded, and they both smiled, content with this plan.

"If the meeting doesn't work?" he asked.

"Alternate the date until it does," she replied. "Just remember to put it the opposite way."

"I'll never forget it."

They embraced again, knowing fully well this could only happen a few times, since Rumpel no longer possessed the powerful magic he once did.

They had a few more nights with each other before Maria and Merlin were to set out for Maria's village, and Rumpelstiltskin gave her half of the money he collected from the ogres and had Merlin take a gander at that bottle of liquid.

"Oh my gosh, this is Siegbarste's Gift... I'd never thought I'd see anything like this in my lifetime. This is rare stuff you got here, Rumpel. Where did you get it?"

"Tell me what it does," Rumpel demanded. "I might hang onto it."

"It's basically the ultimate weapon against an ogre. It's like a poison, but you have to make sure that you get it inside of their system. So, like shooting an arrow or something at them...where did you find this?" Merlin told him.

"Apparently ogres carry their own weaknesses," he replied. Merlin's eyes widened as he saw Rumpelstiltskin's other treasures from the ogres.

"You have some powerful weapons. Don't let anyone else see this kind of thing. You've got a rare snake venom, Siegbarste's Gift, also exceedingly rare I still can't believe it, money and a fancy looking knife," Merlin warned with a tone of surprise in his voice. Rumpel had chosen his tokens well.

"You are not a coward, not in my eyes," Maria said. "But the laws will find you one day and they will be cruel." Merlin agreed with her and Rumpel knew this.

* * *

><p>On the final day, Rumpel listened to whatever Maria had to say about Bae concerning any sort of thing that would calm him down when he excessively cried and how to fed him if he got feisty. In turn, he told her about his recent injury so she wouldn't freak out the next time she noticed it.<p>

That evening, Merlin was preparing the horses and Maria looked at Rumpelstiltskin, tears forming in her eyes.

Rumpel held the boy in his arms, both of them fully aware he'd never remember this moment.

"I'll write at the first opportunity," he promised Maria before she mounted a fair, chestnut colored horse. She nodded, wiping away some of her tears. She held his hand for the final time for what may pass to be many moons.

"I love you Maria," he said.

"I love you too, Rumpel," she replied, pulling up her cloak and riding off with Merlin into the setting sun.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Months That Feel Like Years**

Rumpelstiltskin wrote as often as he could, and whenever he had the chance, to Maria. Her replies sometimes were the only thing to keep him going. He barely left the house, moving a spinning wheel into the house so he could work at his trade. They had arranged their first meeting, and within a few months time, Rumpelstiltskin took Bae with him, seeing how the boy had grown since Maria had left.

Her mother had died a few weeks earlier, and Rumpel felt as though they should be together. According to her letters, Maria wanted to be with him just as much. He got a horse ready, knowing a kind neighbor who would lend him one. This neighbor's name was Jack, and he sympathized for Rumpelstiltskin, even though he didn't know the full story about him and Maria.

"Just have him back in a few days please," Jack told Rumpel and then looked at Baelfire. "He's gettin' big."

"Yeah, I know," Rumpel replied, getting the child onto the horse first. "This will be his first time on a horse. Just hope he doesn't put up too much of a fuss." Jack bid Rumpel adieu as he climbed up, making sure Bae was safe and secure. He took the reins with one hand and headed off into the woods, saddlebags filled with food.

As he galloped through the night, he thought of Maria and the last letter she'd written him. He even kept it in his pocket, for her words were so kind and loving, he may find himself looking at them again and again. The date was set for tomorrow, and Rumpel hoped she got there before he did. It was sort of a midpoint between them. The horse didn't cease its pace as long as Rumpel could help it. Bae had fallen asleep in his arms, so he wasn't having too difficult of a time.

When he halted the horse and tied it to a tree, he caught the glimpse of a light underneath the door. She was already here!

* * *

><p>He opened the door and she sat on the hay, turning around and standing the instant she saw him. To him, she hadn't changed since they'd last seen each other.<p>

"Maria," he sighed, walking as fast as he could but made sure it was a whisper. He didn't want to wake the child. After Maria set Bae on the hay far from them, she couldn't help but kiss him. Then she came to Rumpelstiltskin, locking their lips first thing.

"I've missed you," she said.

"I know...I know, I've missed you more than you can ever know," he replied. "I'm sorry about your mother."

"Thank you," she said, staring at the ground and then to Bae. "He's gotten so much bigger since I last saw him. Managing all right?"

"It's a struggle," Rumpel told her honestly. "I pray we can be reunited soon. Not like this but forever...right now, I can't see that far into the future. I can't really see much at all."

"My magic is allowing you to see the future?"

"To an extent...but Merlin is doing his work."

They kissed again, not wanting to let each other go and for tonight they didn't have to.

"Why did we have to do this?" Maria asked as they sat in the hay, still away from Bae, who seemed to still be asleep.

"Because I screwed up," he reminded her. "If the boy ever asks, I have to tell him that you are dead. Maybe one day he'll know the truth, and if he ever does I hope he forgives me..."

"Rumpel," Maria said. "Promise me something."

"What? Anything," he replied.

"Promise me that if you do get your magic back, to its full potential, whether it's through mine or elsewhere...let Bae make his own decisions when he comes of age and whatever you do, never lose sight of what's truly important. No matter what happens, I want you to use magic for the better," Maria explained.

Rumpel's eyes narrowed at her in suspicion.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked. There was a long silence between them, Maria once again looking at the ground in shame before she began to cry.

"What's wrong Maria, please?" Rumpel asked, feeling sorrow in himself and worry at the same time.

She sniffled a few times before answering.

"I'm sick!" she confessed. "They say I have what my mother did..." She began crying even harder and instinctively, Rumpelstiltskin embraced her, hating to see her cry like this. He sighed deeply, feeling his own tears come to the corner of his eyes.

He said nothing, hating the news but it seemed in every way to be true.

She sniffled, letting Rumpel go and handing him two letters.

"I want you to give these to Baelfire...One when he's 14 or so and the other when you feel as though it may be the last time you ever see him," Maria said. Rumpel took the letters, hugging his wife again.

"There is no cure?" he asked. "Merlin has nothing?"

"Merlin has something and we're hoping to try it, but just in case...here," Maria handed him a medium-sized box that was sitting on the table. "I want you to have this. Open it when you get back to the village."

"This sickness, does it mean we cannot see each other again?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, taking the box.

"If I get better by some miracle, no," she said. "If I don't then perhaps once more...but that's all." He understood, knowing he'd take anything compared to nothing with her.

Then, a mischievous look came over his face and Maria's eyes widened.

"What?" she asked wearily.

"How does this sickness affect you?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. She straightened herself up before answering, wiping the tears from her face and sighing heavily.

"Well, not much yet. It eventually will cause me pain and cause me to be a little more lazy, I think. At least that's what happened to my mom... why?" she asked.

He crashed his lips against hers, laying her down into the hay, and then she knew what was going on. When they let go, she smiled.

"Rumpel..." she said, turning her head and laughing. "What if he wakes up?" She was looking at Bae.

He looked to the right and then the left, which was funny for her to see. He was thinking.

"Oh, come now. Even he does, he doesn't _know_ what I'm doing to you. And I haven't seen you in months, which feels like years. You can't tell me you don't want this, because by God it's been driving me up the wall, dearie!" Rumpel told her, almost ready to blast his voice to a normal volume.

"All right, forget I said anything," Maria whispered. "Just keep your voice down, or try to at least. I know how you get sometimes."

"Me? Oh, that's ironic coming from _you_," he replied making both of them laugh and she pulled him down into the hay with her, longing for this next hour or so...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: What's in the Box?**

The night couldn't have seemed any more short for both of them. By dawn, both were still asleep but Maria had woken to attend to Baelfire's crying. Rumpel woke up minutes later, hearing the boy, but he saw Maria was already there. He laid back down.

"Is that food or is he cold?" Rumpel asked tiredly as he stretched out and sighed heavily into the straw.

"Neither," Maria replied definitely, which caused his attention span to widen considerably for this morning. He gazed in curiosity as Maria picked up Bae and just held him. The child stopped crying almost instantly.

"You are far better at this than I could ever be," he sighed, rolling over to look at his family, mainly the woman who already seemed so full of energy despite their late night together. "How can you be awake and alive at this hour?"

"I have to be," Maria replied. "I can't just leave him crying and I'm usually early to rise anyhow."

"I wish we had more time," he said, and Maria couldn't agree more. Still, they had to wait and do things such as this within a reasonable time span so no one caught on as to what they were up to together.

They thought to arrange their next meeting for when Bae was two years old, and unless anything urgent had occurred, their conversations would be kept to only their lives. When the time came, neither of them wanted to part. It was very difficult, and neither wanted to be the first to walk away.

"I can't do it," Maria confessed. "I just...I can't. I miss you far too much. Hasn't she forgotten me?"

"She doesn't forget, Maria that's her problem," Rumpelstiltskin informed her. "If she did, this wouldn't be necessary. I can't have her coming after you when I am like this."

"I think you'd find a way to protect me anyway, with or without magic."

"That's the thing, I wouldn't be able to. Maria, I am no knight nor am I an archer. Without magic I am a nobody."

Maria sighed, internally knowing he was probably right. He wasn't a nobody to her though, not ever. They saddled up the horse, and after giving Bae a kiss, she handed him to Rumpel.

"Good luck," she said, holding back the tears in her eyes. He wanted to kiss her one last time so with the little magic he had, he lifted her off the ground to do so, making her smile right away at the magic.

"Guess I could have become something great," Maria shrugged. "See you, Rumpel."

"Goodbye Maria," he replied, reluctantly giving the horse a nudge to her side. He held Bae as tightly as he possibly could, for he held the scent of Maria on his clothing already.

* * *

><p>With a heavy sigh, Rumpelstiltskin knocked at Jack's door to return the horse and thank him. Jack, who had almost gone to bed, put the horse away in his stables and would worry about washing and tending to the horse later.<p>

Rumpel took Maria's box inside, and already he was eager to open it, curious as to why she didn't want him to open it right away.

When he undid the latch, he gasped. The first thing he noticed was a golden thread she'd saved, but it wasn't the one from around her neck. She'd been wearing it when they parted. Another thing that caught his eye was folded piece of cloth. It was a blue, almost grey color, and only until he unfolded it did he realize it was a cloak for Bae when he was tall enough to wear it. He smirked, seeing what lay hidden below it. It was a round red apple, almost perfectly spherical and next to it was a yellow one of the same characteristics. There was a small bottle and the outside was labeled 'healing drops' along with a note that read: _for infections and scaring wounds-only one drop needed_. The two letters for Bae were also in there, but he noticed a third, which had his full name along the outside in perfect calligraphy...

_My Dearest Rumpelstiltskin,_

_I thought this box might serve you well. The golden thread is either a reminder or a resource in case the situation is dire. Cherish it well and savor it if you feel you will need more. The cloak is for Baelfire. I made it when I was a young girl and never wore it. I thought he'd make good use of it. Do as the bottle instructs, only use one drop and for serious wounds. Merlin says it will cure anything within any sincerity at any stage, so I would wait until you know the wound is infected before you use it. As stated before, cherish it. I only received one, and I'd rather you have it in my stead._

_I know our time together seemed rather short, but this is inevitable. I will see you again, perhaps sooner than later. I have held you close in my heart between the passing time I've seen you, and as I am sure you do the same, I am certain there will come a day when we will be able to be together forever. I love you, Rumpelstiltskin and I always will. Protect Bae, keep him safe, and enjoy your time together. It will be precious and limited as well._

_~Love,_

_Maria_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: So Much to Say, so Little Time**

As the years passed, Rumpelstiltskin held that letter close to him. It was one of his favorites among all of their exchanges over the years. They'd met only two other times previously than what they had first planned. It was rough, but after a while, the two of them got used to the fact that they were leading almost completely separate lives. Yet, they were as close as any two could be. Their love held through many endeavors, and this was their largest challenge. They were pursuing just fine. As long as the letters weren't too far apart that is.

When Baelfire was about to become 13, Rumpelstiltskin addressed an issue with Maria. The duke of the front lands was requesting troops to fight the battle against the returning ogres, and they were taking children as young as 14. Rumpelstiltskin did not want to handle this one on his own, and he wrote SIG at the bottom with a date and time. Maria's response seemed to be slower than usual, but he supposed it was just the intense wait.

"Is something bothering you, Father?" Bae asked as they were eating dinner that night.

"It's nothing, I'm sure," Rumpelstiltskin replied. "How was your time with Morraine this afternoon?"

Bae looked up surprised, but nothing was getting past his father.

"Oh, come now. I saw you trying to sneak off, boy," Rumpel smiled. "I'm not trying to patronize you. I'm glad you like someone. Anything interesting to say?"

Bae looked at the floor, smiling, feeling that his father was messing with him a little, but it was all in fun.

"Well...if you must know, we went down by the river, and uh..." he was stuttering.

"Did you kiss her?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, and Bae smiled even wider. "Ah...that's my boy!"

"It was great," was all Bae said on the subject. "Are we to spin tomorrow?"

"As usual," his father told him. "Though I am expecting something. I hope it arrives soon, so in case I am called away, I want you to make sure that before you do anything else that you get through your usual amount and you collect whatever is left of mine and put it in the house for me to finish later, all right?"

Bae nodded, and the two finished dinner.

* * *

><p>The very next day, Rumpelstiltskin and his son were spinning the wool together when there was a knock at the door, and the man's voice announced that a letter had arrived. Rumpelstiltskin took care of it, and Bae stopped spinning to look at his father.<p>

"Was it what you were expecting?" he asked.

"Yes, indeed it was," Rumpelstiltskin replied. "I'll be around if you need me for any reason and remember what I told you."

Baelfire spun the wool, thinking about his father. He began to wonder what was in that letter and what made it so important. Deciding that he wouldn't get involved, his thoughts drifted to his mother, as they frequently did whenever he was by himself. He'd never asked Father too much after he told him that his mother had died. Bae never felt like he'd gotten a straight answer, but he supposed it was just too painful for Rumpelstiltskin to talk about.

_They must've been really close_, Bae thought as he set aside his last batch of wool. He gazed at his father's pile and then outside. Although the sun was shinning and it was a perfect day to go out, Bae found that he was not attracted to the outside today for some strange reason. Usually, he'd be gone in a flash, perhaps out with Morraine if she'd finished her chores. Not today though. Instead, Bae thought to stay inside, preferring to be alone with some work to do, and if anyone asked, he'd say that he was still working.

Baelfire sat at his father's spinning wheel and began work once more.

* * *

><p>Rumpelstiltskin opened the letter with great care, but he could not wait to read it. Within seconds, his eyes had already begun scanning the page. Maria agreed to their meeting time, which was tomorrow, but she told him not to bring Bae for obvious reasons. As he'd done previously, he'd have to leave Bae with Morraine's family as he said he was going into town for a few things.<p>

He told Baelfire that he'd have to run into town tomorrow and that he was to remain with Morraine's folks. The boy was excited about staying with his girl, perhaps-more-than-a-friend, but he wondered why his father had to go so soon and not tell him before. Rumpelstiltskin told him it was all in the letter and that he wasn't even sure if he was going to have to go or not until today. It was partially the truth, that's how he saw it.

When Rumpelstiltskin made sure Bae was secure with Morraine's family, he said his goodbyes and told him that he'd be back within a few days time at the most. When he went to collect a few things, he couldn't help but stop to noticed that all of his work had been finished...

_I must be doing better than I thought_, he told himself, thinking of Baelfire. After saddling a horse and locking the house, he was off into the forest.

Maria, her hair still long and wavy, waited for her husband outside the house this time. She heard hoofbeats and then caught a glimpse of his figure. This visit might be more than one day, she could already feel it. There was so much she still wanted to tell him. Rumpelstiltskin ceased the horse, practically jumping off of its back and hugging her close.

"I don't know what to do," was the first thing he said. "They can't take him...not to war."

"Come on, let's talk inside," Maria said calmly. "There is much I wish to tell you."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Why Me?**

"You certainly look better," Rumpelstiltskin mentioned as one of the first topics.

"Merlin does have more powerful magic now," Maria admitted. "His healing methods are strange, but they have worked so far. I almost sent out another letter to you, asking you and Bae to just come to see me. I thought that was it for me, but then I turned around a few days later."

"That's good," he replied, taking her into his arms again. "It's good to know there are still good things in this world."

They kissed only seconds later, just happy to see each other.

"If Bae goes off to war, promise me you'll give him my letters," Maria told him when they released temporarily.

"Of course, I haven't forgotten," he replied, kissing her again, this time deeper and more passionately. To Maria, it felt like they were young lovers again, or that night when they rolled around in the hay together.

They sat down in the hay once more, and Rumpel told her all about the ogre wars and how they have impacted everyone around the villages and kingdoms.

"And now they are recruiting children," he concluded.

"Perhaps Bae wants to fight," Maria suggested. Rumpelstiltskin gave her a stare as though he were shocked to hear her say such a thing.

"Give him my letter just before he turns 13."

"Maria, all right...but can we just forget about this now...I told you that I wanted to see you desperately, and it wasn't just because of Bae."

"I know..."

Maria lunged herself on top of Rumpelstiltskin, wanting to give him all of her attention tonight as she always wanted to when she was with him...

* * *

><p>After they were covered with hay and sweat, they laid next to one another, almost gasping for air. The hay covered them well enough, but they both knew what was hidden was a far better sight to each of them.<p>

"After all this time..." Rumpelstiltskin sighed, looking at Maria. "And you still can't get enough of me."

"You're one to talk," Maria replied, snuggling closer to him.

There was a silent moment between them, and Maria thought he was going to fall asleep. However, he was forever surprising her, and instead he held her close.

"I love you Maria," he said, finding that's all he could say at the moment.

"Rumpelstiltskin, I love you more than I have anyone else; in fact you are the most priceless companion I have. You are truly amazing to me," she told him. His grip on her tightened; never did he want to let go.

The next morning, they talked more about what he and Bae should do to keep him from war, since that is what Maria saw Rumpelstiltskin wanted most, next to her anyways. She agreed that perhaps the two should find a safe place.

"You could come here," she suggested. "You could bring him here...it's safe enough." Rumpel's eye lit up, and he told her she was brilliant to think of such a plan. When she found out they had a few days together this time rather than one, Maria was overjoyed.

"I wanted to spend more time with you. I feel so disconnected all the time, it's crazy perhaps but it's true," Rumpelstiltskin explained.

"Me too actually. I know I'm missing a lot with Bae," Maria sighed deeply. "I feel he'll make a fine man."

"He's already a fine spinner," he told her. "He's got a girl that he likes, and I think things are good for him."

"A girl?" Maria's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? Baelfire has a girlfriend?"

"Well, according to him, they've had their first kiss," Rumpel said, his amber eyes looking up, left and right as he sarcastically was rolling his eyes in annoyance. Maria shoved him, smiling because she was so happy and the thought was funny to her.

"Our first kiss is quite the tale in itself," she told him. Rumpel let out a forced a sigh, almost sounding like a hiss between his teeth.

"Pfft, well yeah...when I finally got the nerve to just do it," he told her, making her laugh.

They talked most of the day away, Rumpel staring at his wheel from time to time, remembering what it was like to have magic. Maria consoled him a little, but there was nothing more she could do for him on that matter.

As nightfall approached, Maria laid down in the hay without him. Rumpel was sitting at the table filled with his many potions and other magical items. He could still recall every one of them and what they did, and he even picked up a magic book. When he read it, Rumpelstiltskin still knew the words. He just didn't have the power.

"Come, lay with me," Maria called softly to him. "I know it must be hard on you, what with being around all of this..."

"No no, it's comforting to a certain degree," Rumpelstiltskin informed her. "It reminds me that I exist." Maria beckoned him to come to her anyway, and after finishing a passage in the book sprawled out in front of him, Rumpel did so.

Time was forever too short, but having those few days gave them both a certain strength they needed to continue with their seemingly oh-so-separate lives. When the time came for them to say goodbye again, it was still just as hard as the first night they'd snuck away to see each other.

"I love you so much," Rumpelstiltskin whispered before getting on the horse. He grasped her tight, and she hugged back with an equal amount of force.

They kissed again, not wanting to let go, but alas they had to.

* * *

><p>Rumpelstiltskin made his way back to the village, entering the house, thinking to get Baelfire tomorrow morning. For now, he stared at the house, and how much he'd put into his life. He'd worked to the bone not only raising Bae but trying to give him his best shot as well as trying to make a living.<p>

He laid down in his bed, thinking of Maria, wanting her next to him right now. For the first time in quite a long time, he let tears fall from his face, trickling down his face, leaving a path of clear skin. The dirt was being swept from his face with every tear, but it trickled down to his ears, becoming cold and feeling like it had to wiped away. However, Rumpel just let them fall.

It was tonight he realized how much he missed his magic, and how the Evil Queen had screwed with his life. He decided that he would not like her get the best of him anymore, and there was no way Bae was getting in the middle of her wrath. He thought of Maria and her close call. More tears fell and he sniffled quietly, not wanting anyone to know he was even home.

He got no sleep that night; it was literally impossible, for he no longer had _his_ magic, and Bae might have to go to war.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: A Desperate Soul**

He sat at the wheel as usual while Bae was off outside somewhere, most likely playing. Rumpelstiltskin focused on his work intently, letting a few thoughts slip into his mind. On this day, they were of Maria, and the days were becoming numbered. Bae would be 14 in a few days. Speaking of Bae...

"Papa!" the boy's voice rang into his ears, sounding urgent. "They've come for Morraine..." Rumpel ceased his work midstream, grabbing his walking stick and heading outside with Bae.

The young girl was being dragged away by force, and Rumpelstiltskin made sure Bae remained close by grabbing his arm.

The girl's parents were pleading with all their might as the soldiers came to take her away. When they tried to defy the solider, there was mysterious power that thrusted them to the ground, leaving everyone to gasp. Bae looked out into the distance, and his father followed his gaze. They saw a shadow figure on horseback, a cloak covering his body. That's what was keeping Morraine's parents in agony on the ground.

"The Dark One seems to think I can," the soldier said, taking the girl away. Rumpel knew how much Morraine meant to Bae, so he held his son close.

"They'll come for me in three days," Bae said, sounding worried and frightened.

"We'll find a way. Don't worry, son, we'll find a way," Rumpelstiltskin said, hoping he could fulfill his word. Remembering what he and Maria had discussed, he and Bae were going to run away, hopefully making it to that safe place.

As Rumpelstiltskin prepared that night for the plan, he stared at his son, sleeping peacefully after many minutes of getting him to calm down. Rumpelstiltskin was reminded of the boy's mother that easily. He sat at a desk, sending word to Maria that they were going to try and make it there within a few days travel.

He snuck the letter outside and to the mail carrier just before he left. Rumpelstiltskin hoped she received the letter on time. Then, he went and woke up Bae.

"Come on, we're leaving now. Come on, Bae," Rumpel shook his son awake. The boy got up as fast as he could, slipping into his cloak, and the two set out for the wilderness together.

"This seems wrong," Bae said. "Running like this." Rumpelstiltskin tried to convince his son otherwise, and as they walked through the woods, their conversation had died down a little. Rumpel wondered if Bae noticed they were heading in the wrong direction. The town was the other way entirely, but Bae didn't comment in the slightest.

A beggar was in the road, asking for money, which Rumpel gave in and tossed him a few coins, not having time to argue. Hoofbeats sounded in his ears just then, but it was already too late to hide Bae.

They both stood, abashed before the soldiers.

"What's your name?" the lead soldier asked, but Rumpel knew better than to reply. Bae, not so much. After a few insults, Bae was determined to stick up for his father.

"His name is Rumpelstiltskin," he said finally. Rumpel tried to hush him, but after a while, the soldiers knew that Bae would turn 14 in two days time. This wasn't a good situation.

"It is treason to avoid service. Take the boy now," the solider said.

"No no," Rumpelstiltskin said in desperation, holding the boy close. "I'll give you anything. What do you want?" Even he knew he had nothing to offer, and the soldiers called his bluff.

The whole situation turned into humiliation.

"Kiss my boot," the solider said, and after some forceful persuasion, Bae had to witness where his family truly stood in the line of power, which was at the very bottom of the chain.

"Papa!" Bae exclaimed after the soldier had kicked Rumpel in the side, sending him flying backwards a few feet. The same beggar appeared from around a corner after the soldiers left, helping Rumpel to his feet.

* * *

><p>As Bae slept once more, the beggar attended to Rumpel.<p>

"All I got is my boy, and now they're gonna take him away from me," he sobbed. "If they take him, then I will truly, truly become dust."

"Not if you have power," the beggar said.

"You may as well say diamonds," Rumpel told him without hope. However, the beggar knew a fine tale, and he told Rumpelstiltskin the legend of the Dark One. The magical dagger controlling him was the key and the duke of the front lands owned it. That's how he controlled the Dark One.

The poor man looked up at the beggar in hope now. There was a way for him to save Bae from war, and by God, he was taking whatever slim chance he had!

When the two returned to the village, Rumpelstiltskin already had a plan to sneak in and get the dagger, telling his son the tale as they wrapped wool around long branches.

"I'll save _all_ the children of the front lands, not just you my boy!" Rumpelstiltskin sounded so happy to Bae, and he couldn't believe what was happening. Deep inside of him, though, he had a bad feeling. Something didn't seem right at all.

"So it's true, you ran. And what happened to Mother? You told me she was dead," Bae said, staring at his father in search for answers. Rumpelstiltskin stared at the ground, still spinning the wool around the stick. He hated lying to his son.

"She is dead," he whispered, but then he suddenly remembered something. "Oh...Bae. There's something I want you to have."

The boy looked curiously at his father as he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket.

"Read this when you have the chance," Rumpel told him. "Now, let's go."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Letters**

The plan seemed perfect. All he had to do was set the place on fire and get the dagger. Rumpelstiltskin couldn't believe that this was all it was going to take to swipe a treasure from the duke of the front lands. If he was able to outsmart them, then clearly the people in power weren't the right ones.

Baelfire had to wait in the woods for his father to return. He dug out the piece of paper his father had given him to read. He gasped, seeing it was from his mother. Although he was confused, he still couldn't keep his eyes off the page:

_To my only son, Baelfire,_

_Hello. I am Maria, your mother, whom you may never know in your lifetime of memories. I could sense right away as you rested within my womb that you were a fighter. I'll bet you are strong, and I hope your father has taught you well to show you the difference in what is right and wrong. I know sometimes he can be protective, but that is only because he loves you. He wants what's best for you, and I told him to spend every moment he can as if it were his last. I feel as though I already know you, so I know exactly what I'm going to write._

_Be strong and trust your instincts. Fear is all right, everyone feels it at some point in their lives. If you have inherited my persistence, I should tell you that it is a good trait when handled accordingly. Listen to your father and always cooperate. Try to keep the arguments minimum, though I know there will be times when you feel so strongly about something that inside you just have to go and get it. I want you to be happy Bae. That's what I've always wanted, and I think it's what any mother wants for her child. _

_Now, there is something you need to know about me. At one time, I possessed magic. It was a naturally thing, I was born with it. I didn't show any signs until I was about your age. If you feel any strange, perhaps new, urges and it seems that things get a little out of hand, tell your father straight away. He'll know more than you think about this. He'll understand, so know that you are not alone. If you experience no magic, then that is fine too. I am proud whichever way._

_Be brave, Bae, and trust yourself. There are things you may never learn or understand about me and even your father. Perhaps one day everything will become clear to you. I want you to promise me that you will be there for your father. Stay with him, and be sure you give him the credit he deserves. He's raised you this far on his own, and I know he has done well. _

_As for me, I suppose you want to know sort of where I come from. Well, I grew up in a small village miles away from where you live. My father had magic and my mother didn't. I never worked with it too much, so I couldn't tell you any fantastic spells. I was seventeen when I met your father, Rumpelstiltskin. He'll tell you the details if you really want to know them. Say I told him so if he refuses. Do not tell your father I'm also telling you that I once freed him from confinement. For what even I do not know._

_My last words to you are: be strong, be brave, be close with your father. Remember that there is a part of me inside of you, and even if you've never met me, you can still get to know me because somewhere inside of you is my spirit. Good luck Bae. I love you._

_~Maria_

The boy was already tearing up, and when he finished the letter, he was shocked. His father at one time held magic? A few answers became clear to him about his father. He'd always wondered why his father seemed so protective of him, but his mother seemed to already know him, despite the fact that he didn't remember her at all.

Bae now understood that there was a piece of him from his mother, and that's why he felt as though he and his father were almost two separate people sometimes. As he read that letter, he felt that his mother was brave and strong. She trusted herself and followed her own instincts. He hoped that if he did the same, perhaps his father would listen to him.

He smirked at the last part about his father being what his mother called "in confinement." The boy stared at the letter for a long time, thinking about his mother, and why his father had finally given him this letter, after all this time.

Speaking of his father, Bae heard a rustling noise and the sound of a stick thrashing into the ground. His father's leg had to be bothering him fiercely by this time.

"Papa, I was so worried," Bae said eagerly. "Are you hurt? A-are you burned?"

"No no, Son I'm fine. I'm just fine," Rumpelstiltskin replied.

"Come on, let's go home," Bae told him, hope in his eyes that his father would listen to him and his instincts. There was something horribly wrong about what was going on.

"I can't yet. There's something I have to do," his father contradicted. "Go home, Son. Wait for me there. I'll be comin'. Go home, Bae."

Baelfire couldn't believe this was happening, and although he wanted to be stronger than this, like his mother had told him, he also remembered she told him to keep a peace between them. So, he did as Rumpelstiltskin told him.

_Maria,_

_I have done something horribly wrong. I've made an awful mistake and if I could turn back time I would just so I could take this one back. SIG, this is urgent, my love. I need to see you as soon as I can._

_My magic, I have it back, but it's way more powerful than I could have ever imagined. It flows through me like my blood once again. I feel complete...but although Bae has read your first letter, he seems uneasy. He doesn't feel safe. I saved him from the ogre wars, I saved a lot of meaningless bloodshed of children. Bae, he wanted to fight. You were right about that, and I almost could not believe he admitted that to me. I will tell you the details about my mistake when I see you. I think my very presence will explain a lot._

_I need to know that you are with me. I feel as though I may go completely mad without you beside me. Still, Bae is persisting that fighting is not a big deal to him. I fear he may leave regardless of what I have done for him. There was no way I was going to let him go. I can't let him go, Maria, I just can't. And I know I've lied to him, I've cheated him once or twice but I did it because I thought it was right for him to learn. Now...I don't know what to do._

_SIG- I'm on my way by sunset_

_~With all my heart to you,_

_Rumpelstiltskin_

"Oh my God," she whispered to herself as she sat alone in her living room. Looking outside, the sky was painted in a landscape that seemed as though the Creator himself had painted it just for them. It was a signal to her.

Rumpelstiltskin never sounded so distressed in all their letters. Maria dropped everything she'd been working on, and locked the door behind her. She received a stare from Merlin, and she looked back worried, hoping the warlock noticed this before she disappeared at Red's house to borrow a horse.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: New Deals**

Maria took the darkest horse, a nice night-shaded horse ready to stretch his legs and run like the wind for her. She never told Red what was up because she didn't trust anyone but Merlin. He was, after all, the only person who knew about her and Rumpelstiltskin still. As far as everyone else was concerned, they were long broken up.

She left the horse to drink outside, keeping him tided to a rope against a tree, but she carried in the equipment. Rumpel hadn't arrived yet. In anticipation, Maria sat by the small creek, waiting for him.

Moments later, a horse came slowing down to their secret spot.

Her eyes widened and she gasped. His skin glistened with a gold-dusted color and he just seemed different, yet so familiar. Maria remembered a slight physical appearance alteration in him from when he'd lost his magic, but this...this was far more noticeable.

"Rumpelstiltskin..." she breathed as he dismounted the horse. She touched the golden thread upon her neck, knowing it was him but still not fully able to process his appearance. "Whoa..."

"Maria," he said, sounding frightened himself. "I've left Bae with a family, but I don't know how long I have. Please...just say-"

She ran to him, wrapping her arms around him at once; she let tears fall from her face.

"Thank you...for protecting Baelfire and doing what you thought was right," she said.

"But Maria, I don't think this is what I should've done. Bae is afraid of me..." he informed her, his eyes giving her all the information she needed.

"It's all right, it's all right. I told him you've dealt with magic before. In the letter," Maria explained. "Just give him some time. If he wants to fight, then allow him. That's how you can love him, by giving him a chance to decide what he wants."

"He's like you that way."

Maria knew that Rumpel was afraid of this magic, and she inquired as to what exactly happened. They went inside and as they sat down in the hay, he told her everything and how much he regretted the decision. Maria suggested he talk to Merlin about the strength of his magic, but Rumpel refused this.

"I can handle this...it's losing Bae I can't stand," Rumpelstiltskin said, his eyes still tearing up. He wasn't ashamed when it was just Maria with him. Crying was nothing to her, and she understood his worry.

"Rumpelstiltskin, I think this magic will soon drive you insane as you fear. You must learn to control it and take it back as you once knew," Maria suggested. "I think we should get Merlin and do a few tests."

As she was persistent, eventually he agreed to seeing Merlin, but he promised her only once. That seemed to already satisfy her, but he was still left with the dilemma of Bae.

"Give him the last letter before he heads off to war," Maria told him. "Be sure he has everything he needs, perhaps...give him a thread. If you can manage it now, which I'm sure you could, I don't think he could ever forget you."

"That's good, I like that idea, Maria," Rumpel said. "Thanks...oh, this is not good."

"What's wrong?" Maria asked, but within minutes, Rumpelstiltskin had already taken the dagger out to show her his name imprinted on the blade. He then stood up and threw it into the wall, shutting his eyes and shaking violently.

Maria had an idea now. Instinctively and knowing it was what calmed her magic every time, she kissed Rumpelstiltskin, thinking about how badly she wanted the magic to calm itself down. She'd heard somewhere that true love's kiss could break any curse, but this was not a curse. This was something that may come of use to him; his magic was finally given back to him, no matter how powerful and uncontrollable. It made him happy, and Maria saw that. She couldn't take that away from him.

After she let him go, his eyes opened, staring at her in disbelief.

"What?" she asked, hoping nothing was made worse. He blinked twice, a finger raising to point at her, though his arm remained close to his chest. His eyebrows rose slowly, for this was something he thought never to be possible.

"You just-you just calmed the magic of the Dark One," he said slowly. "I've become a monster, a beast Maria! Yet somehow...you managed to settle what I cannot even within my own body."

"It's a trick I learned at a very young age when my own magic went out of control. Merlin later confirmed with me that love can overcome anything...if it is true," Maria told him. At that, Rumpelstiltskin's smirk grew wider with each passing moment, and all at once, he could not contain his emotion any longer.

He lifted her off the ground, pulling her into a tight grip, and when he set her down, he wouldn't let go for at least five minutes.

"I don't know what I would do without you," he whispered softly into her ear as his head came to rest on top of her head.

"Keep yourself level, Rumpel," Maria told him. "You must stay strong, learn to control the magic."

"Maria...I need you with me far more often," Rumpel said. "I've protected what's mine and now I can do the same to you. Why don't you come back with me?"

"I think I'll stay here...permanently. I can live here," she told him. "The village holds no more purpose for me. I'd rather live the rest of my life here, just being with you."

Maria knew that Rumpelstiltskin wouldn't catch her drift from this alone, but she didn't want him to yet. He wasn't looking deep into her words like he once did, though Maria found this to be better. Her time was more precious to her than ever.

She wanted to see Bae at least once terribly bad as well. Rumpelstiltskin told her plenty of stories, and the boy does not have magic for sure.

"He misses you; I can tell. Even though he doesn't know you, he seems to find that you and him could have connected very well," Rumpel said. "I swear he clutches to that letter like there was nothing more important to him."

Maria expressed her concern about them lying to him about her death, but perhaps they could right that before time ran out. Time was already short, but Rumpel needed to see Merlin. That was also important.

"I'll get Bae tomorrow," Maria said. "I can go. You are going to see Merlin."

"Maria, he won't-"

"He'll know," Maria said. "I'll explain it to him. At least, all he needs to know about the situation. Rumpel, please trust me with this."

There was a silent moment between them as Rumpelstiltskin thought about what she was saying.

"Deal," he said suddenly. She smiled, a hint of surprise in her expression.

"Haven't heard _that_ word in a while from you," Maria said smiling. "Back to deals are we?"

"I have magic, do I not? This time I'm going to need them!" he replied.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Because I got my wisdom teeth pulled AND it's summer, I will be updating this story faster. Frankly, I've nothing better to do so I can edit things. Enjoy!

**Chapter Thirteen: My Son**

I saw that dagger with my own two eyes, and I couldn't believe what Rumpelstiltskin had done for Bae. It was noble, though I realize no one else will see it this way. He seemed different, perhaps a little more cocky than I remembered. Though I supposed this was due to his new found power. It was even stronger this time, and it was back to dealing.

Not that I minded this. It was the Rumpelstiltskin I knew from years ago, and magic was a part of him. I still love him. I do, unconditionally, though he seems like a difficult man to love. Forever persevering, that's me, and so I must stay by him as long as I can. At least, for as long as time permits me and if he doesn't take this magic too far.

Maria Gold, that is my full name, and I will own it with pride.

The very next day, I was extremely nervous. This time, it was not because I was worried for Rumpel though; I was getting concerned when he began to look forward to seeing Merlin about a few magic lessons. I shook off the bad feeling in my gut, convincing myself I had just changed his mind about it all.

With another deep breath, I hid my true feelings from Rumpelstiltskin this morning. I couldn't let him see that I was afraid of riding into the village to pick up Baelfire. There was no way, because if he saw that I had even a hint of fear, I worried that he might think otherwise about the plan. The plan was essential. My gut continued to oppose me as I saddled his horse, proceeding to place the bit inside her mouth.

I patted the horse's muzzle, feeling her silk skin. When I got the bit inside, I saw him emerge from our place, extending his arms and stretching out his back.

"You look lively," I sarcastically commented, mounting the horse. It was then he looked to see me ready to leave, which seemed to surprise him.

"Aw...leaving already?" he asked, and I noted how...exotic his voice sounded. I smirked, finding it rather amusing.

"Someone has to get the kid," I replied, wanting to take off at that moment, but I kept the horse firm, awaiting a possible response from him.

"Oh all right. If you're going to be like that then," he said, raising his eyebrows. The only thing different about this morning was that I hadn't had sex with him. He was already complaining.

I gave the reins a firm lash and pushed my foot into the horse's side. Right away I was off, sighing in relief that my emotions could be free for the rest of the day. Glancing back at him, he was watching me as I rode away, though he didn't stop me. I knew he could if he really wanted to. On my way out into the massive field I had to cross, I wondered if I should have kept my magic and strengthened it. We'd have been on the same level almost. Now, I was at his mercy, and the more I thought about this, the more I realized I had to trust him.

Sometimes, even to this day, I couldn't do such a thing. For those circumstances...I didn't know what I was going to do. Perhaps this was a conversation for Merlin. Bae didn't have any magic, so I couldn't use him.

The horse pressed on, and I caught sight of the village, placing Rumpelstiltskin out of my mind for the time being. I was greeting by a confused girl of about 14.

"Oh...you're not Rumpelstiltskin," the girl said. "Yet, you ride his horse..."

I merely stared at her for a few moments, then I looked around, seeing a boy walking out of a house.

"Gretchen get back in-" the boy's speech ceased, his eyes widened at the sight of the horse. I sense his confusion also. People were observant around here.

"side..." the boy finished, walking over to the girl who was by now a few feet from the horse.

I knew it the moment I made eye contact with the boy: he was my son, Baelfire.

"Baelfire?" I asked, practically breathless. He looked a little like his father, and he certainly inherited the amber eye color his father possessed. However, his hair color was darker, like mine. Nonetheless, he wore my old blue cloak and stood firm.

"Yes, that's me," he replied. I got off the horse, my instinct telling me to wrap my arms around him and apologize; but I did no such thing.

I stared at him from top to bottom, seeing the wonder Rumpelstiltskin had seen become what he is now. Honestly I could say I was almost struck with admiration and wonder. Sighing, I told him that I had come in his father's stead.

"He's gone to a good friend of mine for some instruction," I explained when the young girl, Gretchen, had gone back into the house. "Is this where you are staying?"

"Yes, this Morraine's family and that was her young sister, Gretchen," Bae informed me. "What is my father doing?"

I came closer to him and made sure no one else could hear us.

"You know of the dagger?" I whispered in question. "and his power?"

Bae seemed uneasy, but he nodded eventually.

"I am asking you to come with me. I have spoken with your father, and he sent me to come and get you. You must come back with me. I will take you to him," I said, hoping my introduction could wait.

Bae latched his eyes to the ground for a few moments, seemingly contemplating whether or not he could trust me. I didn't blame him for this, for I have wronged him in a way that may never be forgiven.

"All right," he said finally. "Just let me tell them." He ran into the house, and as I waited outside, I prayed no one recognized me. No one came out of the house, and I didn't sense anything threatening. I made eye contact with the man looking after Bae after a few moments.

"You are to take Bae back to Rumpelstiltskin?" the man asked.

"That I am," I confirmed.

"What's your name?" the man asked, and then I felt like I should either lie or give in. I decided to proceed closer to his ear and whisper it.

His eyes widened, and I felt his surprise shooting through his veins as I demanded him not to tell Baelfire or anyone else at least until I had left.

My eyes held a firm stare. Not once did I blink to make sure he would take me seriously and so that I could carry on with the plan.

"Bae, do what the woman says," the man said, and it was then I saw another characteristic of my son. He didn't immediately trust the words of those he should. I did this too, but that was because I wasn't sure about a situation. I hadn't experienced it myself yet, and Baelfire was doing the exact same thing right now. Still, he led me to his house, where he took out a key and unlocked the door. He said he wanted to grab a few things.

We walked inside, and I stared again, observing the dwelling of Rumpelstiltskin and Bae. I could definitely tell there hadn't been a single woman in this house even once, but another thing I couldn't help but look at were the end tables. There were two of them, one Rumpel's and the other belonged to Bae.

How could I tell who occupied with table? Rumpelstiltskin's had my box on top of it, and inside was a mess of letters. When Bae opened his, there was a neat pile of trinkets, a pocket knife, and some rope. I smirked once again.

I picked up a few things from Rumpel's drawer that I thought he would need at some point. Bae asked why I was taking things and almost stopped me until I told him that Rumpelstiltskin had told me to grab a few things as well. This was kind of a lie, for Rumpel hadn't told me straight out, but I think he hinted it at some point.

"Did you notice his injury?" Baelfire asked me before we left. "How he isn't limping anymore?"

"Yes, magic can do wonders," I told him. "Your father's power has allowed his injuries never to bother him again."

"That's incredible," Bae sighed, throwing his bag over his shoulder and taking the knife, placing it in his pocket. "I'm ready."

I assembled my letters to him as well as a few other precious items carefully in my own pack, and I had him lead me to the owner of the horse. We were going to walk back. A day's trip probably, but that was all right. That would give me time to figure out what I was going to tell him because as of right now, I still hadn't a single idea.

* * *

><p>Bae didn't complain at all about walking or anything actually. I knew he didn't fully trust me, and perhaps that would never change. Though I am wishing with everything I have that his relationship with Rumpelstiltskin doesn't wan any because of what needed to be done.<p>

As soon as we had walked from one end of the field to the other, I finally got the nerve to start conversation.

"So, Baelfire," I began. "how has life treated you?"

"Life...it's fine I guess," Bae replied. "I just want to see my father again."

"You sound eager," I noted. "Why?"

There was a moment of silence from him, but a few steps later, he came out with a truth to tell.

"I have to apologize," he told me. "I haven't exactly been the most understanding of him lately. You know, the dagger and his power..."

"That can be difficult, trying to understand something you have no experience with," I added.

"I guess, but...you see, I'm all he's got. It's just...there's something different about him I'm not sure I like. Sometimes, I feel like we're two completely different people. Once, I remember questioning as to whether or not I was really his son."

I looked at him curious yet full of sympathy. At least he was opening up to me more, and as I valued our conversation, I wanted to make sure I asked the right questions but more importantly, I worded those questions perfectly. This was all about timing and all I could hope was that I didn't run out of it too quickly.

"I'm sorry if this seems a little personal, but you see I've known your father a long time. I am curious as to how you felt after you saw he acquired his power."

"That's the thing I have to apologize for. I ran from him. I was afraid of the only person I could trust, and I think there's more to what he did than just power. Everyone sees him as a monster, but he's still my father. That's where I screwed up. I should have been there for him, and I should support him, despite our differences."

"Those are some pretty strong words coming from a teenage boy," I said.

"Well, some of them aren't mine, but I was told them..." Bae never finished that sentence, which was perfectly fine and I wasn't going to press him.

"If you know my father, how come he never mentioned you, or you never came by to visit?" Bae asked.

"We wrote," I simply replied, knowing that now, everything was going to unfold no matter what so I might as well stop lying. "I guess he didn't want you worrying about his life."

The rest of our conversation was small talk, which was fine for the both of us. We shared a few laughs as I hinted a few things about my past, but not too much. When we set up a fire for the night and got it lit, Bae asked something I was actually ready to tell him.

"How did you and my father meet?"


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: An Owed Explanation**

The blazes of red and orange embers came blindly scattering toward us, though never did they come within contact. I sat on a log, recalling flashbacks after Baelfire had asked that question. Feeling the smile etch its way to my lips, I gave out a quiet, short laugh.

"Me and your father..." I stared longingly into the fire, immersed by its glow. It reminded of the way Rumpelstiltskin used to carve words into various object with embers such as what we were witnessing this very moment.

My tongue traced a lining along my pale bottom lip, and for a mere few seconds, I swore I could still taste his presence. From our first kiss, I knew I wanted him more than anything else; and, I got him. Gradually, I would have to hint this to him.

"We met...when he was in jail," I said, smirking once again.

"Jail?" Bae asked, looking to the ground. I knew he was thinking by this point. "How do you mean?"

"Well, I was...annoyed with certain aspects of my life. Romance never came easily to me, so I went to your father looking to do a deal," I said, smiling. "Back when...he first had magic."

"You knew too?" Bae asked, seemingly annoyed by this. "It seems like everyone did except me. He never told me he had magic ever before in his life..."

"Then how did you know?"

"I...uh...I read a letter. It was addressed to me. My...mother wrote it for me. It was before she died and my father gave me the letter a few days ago. I wish I could have met her. She made it sound like I could have magic deep inside of me, and that I just don't know it yet...did you know her? My mother?"

I stopped thinking at that question. I couldn't take this any longer. We were probably far enough away from the village, and the people might already be talking.

"Yes, I do know her," I said. Bae looked at me, confused.

"Do? She's...dead-"

"Baelfire," I said. "Listen to me very carefully...I don't want anything to happen between you and Rumpelstiltskin because I am telling you this, all right? Promise me that you will not judge your father, and that you will confront him when the time is right about this. Hell, take it out on me if you want...just don't take it out of him. He doesn't deserve that."

"What do you know?" Bae was serious now, fully trusting every word I was saying.

"Do you have the letter?" I asked, thinking he needed to be shown, as I would have needed to be in his situation. He nodded and dug it out for me.

I spotted my signature at the bottom. I took a quill pen from my pack and the ink I still held. At the bottom I re-signed the letter, making the words look exactly the same. I gave Bae the letter back.

He stared at the bottom half, saying nothing for many minutes. I didn't think he wanted to believe it.

Now, I looked at the ground.

"I can offer you an explanation," I informed him. "Just remember your promise to me. Don't blame your father. He does not deserve this."

"P-please..." Baelfire said, standing up. He was being strong. "All this time...I thought you were dead! Father, he-he lied to me, and about you and about everything! Ever since I read your letter, I wanted to know you. Whenever I asked Papa, he never wanted to talk about. I thought it pained him too much because you were dead!"

I stood now as well, ready to meet him half way.

"Let me explain," I commanded. "I can tell you why it all happened...it may not change anything and I know what we did, especially to you, is unforgivable. I understand that, but perhaps you'd like to know why. And, knowing you I think that's all you want right now."

"And out of all of it, you only wrote one letter," Bae said, sinking. I expected this much.

"Actually, I wrote another, but I wrote them a long time ago. You were much smaller, and we-Rumpelstiltskin, Merlin, and I for sure-thought I was sick. We thought I didn't have much time left. You were so young, and I could hardly take care of you," I began.

Bae sat back down, seeing the look on my face. I sat as well near the fire.

"Your father did everything he could for you, probably because I nagged at him to do such, but he never wanted to leave my side, thinking I was going to pass away at any time. I was very weak, Bae. I wanted to keep you. Then, Merlin stepped in to save me. He cured me of what I had but in exchange, he wanted your father to fight with the others against the ogres..."

"And he ran," Bae interrupted. "and then you left him."

"He ran because he wanted to raise you. He ran because...he didn't want to die and leave you with no parents."

"But, you were better, why couldn't you stay? And how did Papa have magic?"

I sighed.

"All right. I see I'm going to have to go way back for this," I said. "Okay, Kid listen up. Your father was born into a family of powerful magic. He had it all from the beginning, and his deals were becoming quite popular. Well, I needed him for one of those deals, so I went to him. His price was me freeing him from his prison. Then I signed a contract I didn't read. At the time it was a big deal, but your father was nineteen and I seventeen. The other catch was for me to go on a date with him."

Bae started to smile a little, and I loosened up myself.

"So, I went on the date and after a while, your father continued to visit me in secret. No one knew we were dating, not even _my_ mother. Then, one day, the Evil Queen came around to the village, looking for me..."

"You met the Evil Queen?" Bae asked, eyes wide. "Papa talked horribly about her. Is she really as awful as they say?"

"I don't know what they say, but she sure does twist the minds of people. Your father may have exaggerated a little in his description because of what happened to me. I was locked for four days in her castle, awaiting for either Death or someone to save me. And that's when your father came. His magic was stronger than the queen's, and he freed me. I stayed with him until I could walk properly."

"My God!" Bae exclaimed. "She must be something awful then! A poison apple, that's how a friend of mine described her once."

"It wasn't easy when your father took me back home. No one trusted him, that was clear enough, and my mother didn't take to him well at first either. That was a problem because we were falling in love. I think they trusted him after he casted the Evil Queen away. He proposed to me, we got married and then he called me out and told me I was pregnant. I didn't even know it yet, but he could already see it."

"Wow, that's incredible. That was why Papa wanted his hands on magic again. I didn't know, until I read your letter, why he wanted all that power," Bae said, practically breathless.

"The Evil Queen is vengeful, and she was after me again because I had interrupted a deal between her and Rumpelstiltskin. Our plan was to separate because it was the best we could do. In exchange for my freedom, before I even knew I was having you, your father traded his magic to the Evil Queen for my safety because he loved me so much. We weren't taking any chances though, and my mother became very ill. We separated, and I gave all my magic to your father in case you ever grew up to have any because Merlin took his away. Then, I went to see my mother. Merlin had put a weaker spell on me that the Evil Queen could have easily broken. Rumpel stayed to look after you."

Bae sat silent, looking at the ground and thinking about his entire life and his father.

"So, I told him to give you the letters when I thought you'd be ready to read them," I finished, my eyes welling up with tears. "We met secretly a few times, but now, because your father stabbed the Dark One, he needs to return to Merlin to learn how to control his magic. So, he sent me to get you, thinking we could somehow right our wrongs to you."

There was more silence as I expected, and we just sat there for what seemed like a very _very_ long time. It was never ending, but finally Bae look up at me.

"Mom..." he said those words as if they were foreign to him. "I can't believe...I knew there was something that made me and Papa so different..." He was beginning to cry too, and before I knew it, he had his arms clutched me and as hard as he could too.

"I missed you," he said. No other words could have sufficed any better.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: Yes, Yes I Did**

"I really must apologize to him," Bae said the next morning. "I know why now, and that is all I wanted to know. How long before we reach them?"

We'd been walking all morning since sunrise.

"By this afternoon, we should be there," I replied. "And I hope I didn't just ruin you and your father's relationship."

"No...I just feel more guilty about how I've treated him, unknowingly of course, but still."

He seemed to accept what I told him, and we became more comfortable around each other as our walk continued. When we stopped to rest, he'd ask me to tell him a small story about Rumpelstiltskin. As we walked though, our conversation was mostly about each other and our lives. I didn't want that walk to end, for I had missed so much of him growing up, though based on our conversation, I could see instantly that Rumpel had done very well.

"He sacrificed so much for me," Baelfire sighed. "And I couldn't see that."

"Don't beat yourself up. It isn't your fault, and besides, he has stronger magic now," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"True."

He looked at me from then on until our next break in the walk. We were very close to the dwelling by now.

"Come on, we're so close. We can go inside if we keep going," I urged him on, and the brave spirit did as I said.

* * *

><p>"There." I pointed with my index finger at the tall-standing building. "Bae, your father and I...we've been seeing each other since you were born, but not very often at all. There are many memories in this place, for both of us."<p>

I unlatched the door and led him inside, and that's when he saw the wheel and the straw on the ground.

"I-is that-" he stuttered.

"Gold?" I asked. "Yes, yes, it is gold. It's a habit of your father's."

He had no words, and he simply walked over to the wheel. To my eyes, he was stricken with surprise that his father was capable of such a thing.

"We could have been rich..." he sighed. Then, he noticed my necklace as I sat by him. "Hey, that's...is that a gold thread?"

I laughed quietly. "Yes, that it is. He gave this to me a long time ago."

"Father gave you gold? Why didn't you sell it?" he asked. I turned around and lifted my hair.

"Do you see a clasp on this thing?" I asked, a jocund tone in my voice. I smiled when he laughed too.

"No, I suppose not," he said, smiling. We rested in the hay a while longer, and before we headed out for the last time, I picked some apples from the tree. I handed him a yellow and a red one, curious to see if he took after me or Rumpel in that fashion.

* * *

><p>"Are you ready to meet Merlin?" I asked.<p>

"I am. From what you tell me, he seems like quite the busy man," Bae replied, and right away, there were sparks flying from an area in the village. They were in the center of town!

I kept Bae close to me, for I didn't want him running into the midst of a raging fire conjured by either Rumpelstiltskin or Merlin.

"That's it! You're doing it," Merlin was encouraging Rumpelstiltskin.

I saw he had on that old set of clothing, with the red leggings and leather laced over them. He looked like the warlock I knew so very well. I smiled, seeing him release a grand spark of flying embers, sending them into a pit. That was control _and_ power. The embers ignited, and I saw Bae watching in fascination. This, was magic.

Rumpelstiltskin was getting the hang of this now. It was like a piece of him was returned.

Merlin glanced at me, and then to Baelfire. His eyebrows shot up in amazement by how much Bae had grown. Rumpel ceased his magic as the flames rose high in the pit, burning nothing but ashes. It was training. He looked behind him to see me and Bae.

"Bae!" he exclaimed.

"Papa!" Baelfire exclaimed, looking to me to make sure it was safe. I looked to him, but he already was walking steadfast towards us. I shooed him and he met Rumpel straight away.

"I'm so sorry...Papa, I am so so sorry," he whimpered into Rumpelstiltskin. I knew Bae meant every word of that, and I felt a large burden lift from my chest as well. The truth was far better than anything we could have done otherwise.

"For what, Bae?" Rumpel asked.

"For running away from you...for being afraid when I shouldn't have been. A-and, I'm sorry about how you and Mom were separated."

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes widened a little, and he looked up from Bae, staring straight at me in disbelief. I smiled, giving him a nod of confirmation that I had already done the irreversible. His jaw almost dropped, but he didn't question much of it...for now. I knew I was in for an earful later.

"She...told you?" he asked. Bae nodded, clutching to Rumpel even tighter than before, never wanting to let go. Rumpelstiltskin wrapped his arms tightly around his son.

"And I'm sorry too...for lying to you about her," he said. "I just couldn't bare the thought of losing you to such senseless war...or ever." I watched them, almost tearing up at the reunion. This was how it was supposed to be, how it could have been too.

"Well, I think I am going to let your father have a good rest for what's left of the day. You earned it, Rumpelstiltskin. Nice to see you again," Merlin said.

"Thank you Merlin," he replied softly.

"And, nice to finally meet you Baelfire," the warlock greeted.

"Thanks, you too," Bae replied, though he kept within arm's length of his father. Rumpel wrapped his arm around Bae and pulled him in close again. I smiled at Rumpelstiltskin, bowing my head and taking my leave, figuring they had a lot to talk about.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: Without Fail**

Later that night, I returned from having a long chat with Merlin about how Rumpelstiltskin was fairing along with his magic. Merlin warned me that Rumpel may never be the same, for the magic is very powerful and he was never accustomed to it. I was told he might be a bit delusional and he may forget things at times, but other than that, he was supposed to be all right. His crazier side seemed to become more vibrant, but that was also something I was perfectly fine with. I loved him no matter what.

"Maria," I was greeted right at my front door with a kiss from Rumpelstiltskin. I could feel his magic coursing through him, and it was the most powerful feeling I could ever describe. He thought his magic was strong before...this was far greater.

"We should stay here. Bae's just gone to bed," he told me, so we sat outside on the porch of my house.

"You told him?" Rumpel began, almost still just as shocked at the first time he found out it seemed. Here we go.

"Yes, on the way. I felt he needed to know, and now that he does, I think it's better," I explained.

"How on earth did you explain it?" he asked, eyes wide. "He doesn't even hate me! The whole time we talked, I felt abashed, and I never want to feel that way again, especially in front of him. He...apologized. He didn't have to!"

"He never did hate you, I just told him the right information," I said, placing a hand over his. "I told him about our separation, and how we met. He was apologizing before he even came here for not understanding."

"I feel as though I don't deserve this...any of it," he confessed. "You handle him very well. It took me his whole life, thus far, to learn how to talk to him. I couldn't believe his words myself. He never needed to apologize."

"It's all right, we can just be now. Everything's out in the open."

Rumpelstiltskin didn't seem too upset that I had done what I did, and we sat on the porch a while longer, talking about various things. I asked how his magic was coming along from the first day. There was a lot for him to do, but we'd be sure and stay until he could control it 99% of the time.

He kissed me again on the porch, out in the wide open spaces now. It felt good to be bold in public again, and I kissed him back.

"Awww...all these years, and you're still adorable!" I heard a familiar, unforgettable voice.

"Well well now! If it isn't the Pied Piper!" Rumpel said after he'd released me. There was much catching up to do with those who were even here anymore. I didn't see Red around the place, though I thought I might have seen Snow. Not being sure, I thought to ask before I went around searching.

I let those two chat a while as I went into the house, thinking I'd see if there was anything left to do. I saw Bae curled up on the couch, his eyes shut peacefully. Finding nothing of great importance, I walked up to my room and changed into some more fitting clothes, setting aside the items I had picked up for Rumpelstiltskin.

Lying awake in bed, I sighed deeply, wondering how life was going to be from this point onwards. Everything had changed now that Bae knew about us, about me actually being alive.

"I'm here to break you of your thoughts, dearie," Rumpel's voice came softly, and it was then I saw he had just come in and was already settling himself into bed.

I smirked as he took off his shoes and coat.

"Now if he sees us, he'll know what's going on," I argued, knowing exactly what he wanted tonight as I leaned my head against the pillow in a more comfortable position. I'll admit I wanted it too.

"Well then, we'll just have to be..._quieter_," he smirked, shutting the door with his magic and placing a seal over the cracks of the door.

He came to my side with only his red attire, coming in very close.

"I can't believe we're still doing this," I said, looking into his eyes as I smiled and shook my head.

"Don't question it too much, dearie, you'll hurt your head," he said, kissing me not but a second later. I smiled, returning the favor, wrapping my arms around his neck as he came on top of me.

If there was something I loved about him the most tonight, it was his assertion. He was not afraid to take what was his own now that he had magic back. Magic means power here, and he definitely understood that concept. Still, without the magic, tonight we were doing what we'd always done. It'd been years since we'd been able to just be together like this.

I remember each time I saw him, we had sex. Every time, without fail, and now at my age of...I didn't even know that anymore. Either way, our physical desires had not waned since our first time. I decided to take off my wedding ring, but that necklace would forever stay.

"You still wear that?" he asked, gesturing to the ring, as if it were a surprise to him.

"Of course. Everyday," I replied, taking this opportunity to gain the upper hand in this. I rolled over on top of him, and he did not expect it, as usual. The ring was on the end table on my side of the bed now, and I got the top. What a great night.

"How do you trick me into that _every_ time?" he asked, looking up at me curiously.

"I don't know," I replied sarcastically, though I made sure to be subtle with it. "I just know you..."

He smirked, running a hand along my bare side, stopping to unlace my halter top from the back.

"And I know _you_."

Sighing, I asked him how it could even be possible that each time was as amazing as the first, but even he had no idea.

"But I don't care about why it is the way it is; it's just the way it is. But, when we're alone and still able to do _that _the way we do...well dearie, that's what I call _magic_!" he told me, making me smile very wide, almost burst into laughter, from the way he said that.

"You're still just as vibrant, if not more, I must say," I replied, implying that I was loving it.

"To say you are by far the greatest lover would be an understatement, perhaps even an injustice to you," he said. We huddled close to one another, pulling up the blankets. Even with the windows closed tight tonight, there was still a draft coming in.

I could feel his left arm wrapped gently around my body, for I was already colder than him.

"If there is one thing I cannot understand it's how you manage to feel like you're dead within a matter of a few minutes," he sighed, bring me closer. I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Well, you seem fine with my iced skin," I said. "So who am I to complain?"

Resting an arm over his chest, I lowered my head and instantly, I heard his heart beating calm and strong. Smiling, I got comfortable by adjusting one of my legs to entwine with his. Words were not necessary, but he spoke in a quiet tone anyways.

"I love you Maria."

"I love _you_ Rumpelstiltskin."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: It Can Wait**

"Are you sure there was nothing I could have done?" Baelfire asked as I took him out the next week to the markets. Since Rumpel's power was gaining, the house had gotten its share of repairs, and when we were settled back in my village, life became easier for all of us.

"Bae..." I said, feeling the hurt of the subject every time it was brought up. "There is nothing. I could have never been able to control it. Your father saw the future and made a decision to change it; whether it made it better or worse is up to Fate to decide."

Bae looked at the ground, and I knew he was hurt by this. There was no possible way he couldn't be hurt by it. What had been done was practically unspeakable.

"I just want him back," Bae sighed, picking up a bushel of red apples. "I want my father back." I purchased our goods, and as we headed back to the village, I saw Bae start to cry.

"I'm sorry," I said, knowing that would never be enough. "If helps, your father was like this when I met him. He wasn't a coward-he never became one. He just became overprotective. I think he's afraid of losing us...and perhaps he's given up a piece of himself to do that."

"He's been acting different though," Bae said. "He's not...him anymore. He seems colder and more...insane."

"That's part of the magic, I think," I explained. "...don't bring this up to him, no matter what, you hear me?" Bae nodded.

"To have power is something he was not accustomed to for a long time, and this is something greater than I could have anticipated. Still, I can calm his raging outbursts. I already did...and you are right...he isn't the same."

There was a long silent moment, and I think Baelfire could see that I was having a rough transition as well. Rumpelstiltskin, as he became more controlled over his powers, also became more wild-minded. I already knew his personality before his first set of powers were stripped from him, and surprisingly, his old personality came back. Just his mind seemed to be more persuasive than before. Otherwise, he knew the loopholes, the small cracks in the system filled with kings and queens. Rumpel knew how to play the game, and he was very good at it and he knew he was good at it. As insane as he may sound, I understood him... somehow.

I knew Baelfire and I were his most treasured possessions. As long as we were safe, it seemed that he wouldn't go too overboard. After all, he'd been reduced to a poor spinner and then...he got it all back: the power, the ability, and the mindset. I couldn't believe it when I saw embers come from his hand again. All magic _does_ come with a price, and his was a mental alteration. Power consumed him, I should have known that from the beginning. I just didn't realize how truly ostentatious it was in him.

"What was your magic like? Can you ever get it back?" Bae asked.

"My magic...I didn't do much with it. Your father had it for a while, and apparently it could have been great. I don't know if I can get it back or not...why?"

"Well, maybe it would help him. If you took some of the burden, do you think he'd be a little more...sane?" Bae asked. I hadn't thought of that before, but it was a brilliant idea.

When we returned, I ran over the idea with Merlin. He too, wasn't sure of what would happen, but he didn't want to give too much to me if we did something of that sort.

"It might help him. He could regain just enough mental capacity to understand other people," Merlin said. "Right now, he's getting pretty bad. He's cold towards almost everyone."

"I'll try anything," I said. "Just to see if he can understand people. I don't want him dealing blindly and ruining people's lives."

Merlin sat silent at my last comment, as if there was something I didn't understand. I wondered about this for a little while.

"Perhaps I should reword that?"

"No, no," Merlin finally replied. "It's just...magic has to ruin lives sometimes. It has to be a toxin as much as it is a healer. Rumpelstiltskin won't use his magic for evil purposes...not directly for himself anyway. He's willing to help people when they come to _him._"

"Ah..." I said, remembering something from a long time ago. "And then they misunderstand..."

"Yes...usually, how did you-" Merlin pondered, but he stopped talking, seeing the look on my face as I stared at the ground.

We agreed to try Bae's idea. I knew Rumpelstiltskin to be cunning enough to use his magic wisely, so I thought this would only do him more good than harm.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Rumpel talked about his deal with the beggar.<p>

"I think he was just sick and tired of being controlled," he told me. "He never saw _freedom._ I understand that deal now, but I'm glad I did it!"

"We're fine, Rumpel," I said. "All that matters is that, at the end of the day, we are here."

"Oh very true..." his gold-dusted skin began to get a little darker, and I could sense a random outburst. I kissed him right away, thinking I could stop it before it even began. I was right. Rolling myself on top of him, I instantly repelled the magic. His eyes returned to their amber color.

He gave out one of those high-pitched, short laughs of his, and I had to be ready to fight this. I smirked, thinking of what he wanted and how magic could get him what he wanted. He wasn't that lazy though. Hmm...

Without any warning (of course), he easily threw me back so I was on the bottom, and I smirked again. Quickly thinking, I devised a scheme, which started when I grasped the front of his jacket and threw him down on me. Self...eh, not sacrifice-more like a brilliant involvement. The magic tingled from him to prove he couldn't completely control it all just yet, so I rolled again when he relaxed into me. Holding the kiss, I found that he stayed below me. When I released, Rumpelstiltskin still had his eyes shut, simply breathing.

I came over onto his left side, sighing.

"Thank you very much," he spoke, stroking my hair.

"No problem," I said, seeing as though I wasn't even winded from what had just happened. Then, he came back on top of me, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly.

"No..." I was about to continue as a smile came over his face, but then the door opened. His expression altered and my attention snapped from him to the door.

"Mom are you-whoa!" Baelfire exclaimed in shock when he saw the scene behind the door.

_Slam! Smash!_ Bae had just closed the door after he said that before Rumpelstiltskin had tossed a large stone at him. It hit the door instead.

"Can it wait?" I yelled to him, hoping he was all right.

"Yes!" he replied promptly, probably shielding his eyes by now. Poor thing, we probably just scarred him for life. At least we weren't naked. Rumpelstiltskin turned back to me, taking off his coat.

"All right," I gave in. "But only for-" he cut me off with a kiss after he had lunged on top of me.

* * *

><p>"Wull, I didn't need to see that..." Bae muttered to himself. That was a little much for him to handle. He walked out of the house, figuring to leave them alone and thankful his father threw the rock at him. It knocked some sense into him to react.<p>

"Baelfire," the Pied Piper greeted, almost sauntering past the boy. "Is your father around?"

"Um, I wouldn't go in there," Bae said warningly, looking back at the house. "My dad's sorta in what Mom calls a rage."

"Ah, the magic again," the Pied Piper nodded. "That's okay, I can wait."

"That's what I said."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen: To Let Him Go**

The Pied Piper sat by the bank of a stream on a log, Baelfire beside him. The night was filled with the cricket's chirp, and the moon shone hight above the trees, impossible to reach. A small fire crackled beside them, rudimentarily extinguished if need be.

"So, you're who everyone calls the Pied Piper?" Bae asked.

"That's me boy," he replied, displaying his flute for the lad to see. "I have friends who are rats, and I can get rid of rats. I care for rats, I raise rats, I sometimes eat the rats-"

"How well do you know my father?" Bae asked outright. Rumpelstiltskin was all Bae could think about lately. Since his mother seemed to be having her own troubles, he figured to seek other sources.

"Hmm...let's see...Rumpel, Rumpel, Rumpelstiltskin...ah yes! I know him, or should I say I knew him? He's a bit on the wild side now, but back when he was with your mother unofficially...yeah, I knew him all right like a friend would."

"What was he like?" Bae asked.

"Well, he was a strategic fellow. He always knew how to benefit himself and others, especially with magic. Oh man was he great at that! Raw magic, I tell you Baelfire. It was fascinating," the Pied Piper rambled.

"Okay, so he had magic. Was he...like this?" Bae asked.

"Sort of, yeah. He always seemed a little...unconnected to the world. He had his own ideas about lots of stuff, then he got himself in jail."

"How did he manage that?"

The Pied Piper explained that he and Rumpelstiltskin had gotten into an argument over a position at a king's castle. Magic was required, both of them had it and had no idea they would be put up against each other. The magic and spite got a little out of hand, and the Pied Piper had taken a fierce blow.

"No way!" Bae exclaimed. "Show me where he got you so hard."

The man lifted the back of his shirt and low and behold, there it was. A large, swiveled line down his back. A scar.

"I knew that meant more to both us than we could ever imagine. I won it because of the accident. Rumpel was sent to jail, where he remained until your mother somehow freed him," he explained.

"What happened to you two? Are you still friends?" the boy asked.

"Oh yes, yes, that's all behind us now. It was childish the way we would fight with magic, but I am forever sorry as to what I had to do to him to get him in such a vengeful state..."

They sat in silence for a while, and Bae still thought about his father. It seemed that slowly, Rumpelstiltskin was forgetting things that had happened to him. His mother insisted otherwise, but he seemed too...out of it, like the Pied Piper had put it, "unconnected."

"He'll probably forget significant events as the magic continues its work," the Pied Piper sighed. "I think one day he'll just remember everything."

"I hope so. He still remembers me at least," Bae said.

"It would take a blow as powerful as...as...well the most powerful blow in the world to make him forget you and your mother," he replied.

There were another few moments of silence between them, and Bae kept thinking. A while later, he realized that there was a relaxing tune playing nearby. When the boy took time to look around him, he spotted the Pied Piper sitting by the fire with a couple of rats close by. The boy smiled, thinking things would be all right. After all, he still had his mother, his real mother, to be with. With her, he didn't feel as alone, but his father meant a greater deal to him at the moment.

"Maybe...he'll just want to forget," Bae sighed. "You know, just spin his wheel and forget anything ever happened."

"That sounds like Rumpel," the Pied Piper said with despair. "It'll be all right, lad. I promise."

"I'd rather go to war then have to watch him suffer."

"If it is what you wish, Merlin can take you first light," another voice chimed in. Maria had come up behind them. Bae looked beyond the Pied Piper to see his mother.

"Mom, I'm so sorry," he said. "I just, I want to fight, and if it means getting away from this..." The boy began to tear up, and Maria took him into her arms.

"I know...I know," she soothed him. "I will look after your father. Merlin can take you to battle tomorrow if that is what you wish."

"It is."

"All right." The Pied Piper knew better than that.

* * *

><p>"Going to war?" Rumpel asked in a rage, and it was building pretty quickly. "This is why I did this! I got all this power and now he's still going?"<p>

"He wants to go, and I'm not going to stop him," Maria said. "Let him go."

"And what if he dies?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"He knows what he's doing."

There was a tension that morning as Merlin was preparing Baelfire for the long horse ride. When everything was packed, Rumpel had a moment alone with his son once his rage had calmed.

"Papa," Bae began, giving him a hug first thing. "I can do this."

"I know you can, son," his father replied. "I know you can." As much as tears begged to shed, Rumpel would not let them. He wanted his son to see him stronger now.

"Whatever you do, know that I love you, boy. Don't you ever forget that."

"I could never, Papa...I love you too," Bae cried nonetheless, wanted to clutch to Rumpelstiltskin as he always had in the past. However, he knew that had to change, and when he finally let go, he looked his father in the eyes and wiped away his tears.

He extended his hand, his father took it.

"Thank you, I owe you everything," Bae said, and the two walked out together where they met Maria and Merlin.

Maria gave her son a hug, and she handed him her final letter to him. She had made a few changes but she thought it was best that he took it with him.

"Baelfire," Rumpel said before Bae got on the tall and proud white horse. "Take this." It was another piece of paper, and Maria sensed that Rumpel had also decided to write something up as well. She smiled, and they saw him off together, their hands clasped tightly, both of them trying not to shed a tear. Maria knew she was the only thing that made Rumpelstiltskin stand back.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen: Their Own Paths**

Maria knew that Rumpelstiltskin had planned on getting a far bigger place than what they had here. He'd spun far more than enough gold, and he announced that he was planning the construction of a castle, vast and large enough for all of them to reside. It would be a peaceful place, and when Bae returned from war, he would be treated as a price.

"This is wonderful!" Maria exclaimed. "I can't believe this. A castle! Rumpelstiltskin I could have never suspected this in all my years."

They kissed, sharing the moment together, and for once, Rumpelstiltskin felt like he was in control of his life and there was nothing that could get in their way. The Evil Queen hadn't been too snippy as of late and the castle would be a walk from another nearby town. Rumpel wanted to get out of this village, for it reminded him too much of the past, though he would always have that little place she dared not enter.

"It will be for us," Rumpel said proudly. "And...when Bae returns." That subject weighed heavy on them both. The construction was a minor distraction, and Rumpelstiltskin took Maria out to the site on which it was being built. It was only half finished but there was enough to where they could start moving their belongings inside.

"The wheel...in the dining room?" Maria asked, giggling.

"Well, the straw goes there," Rumpelstiltskin pointed down a hallway to where there was another room, smaller but enough. "So, I thought why not position my work where I will be most often?"

"All right," Maria said, not arguing with him, and she'd never meant to. "What are we going to do with all this space?"

"Fill it, dearie...with whatever we desire!" he announced, one arm in the air. Maria spun around in circles, never happier.

There was a large bedroom created with a massive king size bed. The dining room was open, large, like nothing Maria was ever used to! She loved the place, but she loved Rumpelstiltskin even more.

"I love you," she said, thinking just to say what was on her mind.

"And I love you," he replied, and they kissed again.

"Are you...stuck in that curse...like forever?" Maria asked, sitting in the straw.

"I don't think it's much of a curse...it gives me power," Rumpelstiltskin said. "Perhaps I don't want to change back."

"Yeah, it's just...well I thought true love's kiss could break any curse," Maria sighed. There was a silent moment between them for a short time.

"It probably could, but as I said, I don't think this is a curse. Maybe I have to believe that first, and then when it is a curse and I think it is, then true love's kiss will break it for me," Rumpel told her definitely.

Maria thought that was a fine explanation, worrying herself that she was not his true love for a moment. That thought escaped her mind. A person could have more than one true love, right?

* * *

><p>Baelfire sat with his comrades. There were all ages of children, and he spotted someone he knew quite well.<p>

"Morraine!" Bae exclaimed. "You're alive!"

The girl, her long, golden locks had become painted with dirts of brown and black colors. Her skin was struck with wounds, fresh and unwrapped because they couldn't afford to use the bandages unless there was a more serious wound. The girl's clothing was torn, but Baelfire knew it was her.

"Baelfire?" she asked, eyes widening.

"Yes, yes it's me!" he exclaimed, running to her.

"Be careful...my back," she explained just before he embraced her into a hug.

"Oh...all right," he said, hugging her anyway. "How are you? Besides the whole war part?"

"Fine...I'm homesick. I can't sleep some nights still. How is your father?"

"Oh do I have a tale to tell you," Bae said, a wide smile on his face, which brought her spirits higher today. There would be no further fighting for the rest of the night, so she invited him to sit down and tell her something from the outside world.

Clinging to his every word, Morraine couldn't have been happier for Baelfire. After he told her about his mother, she could hardly believe it, but from Bae's tone, everything was as real as they were to each other.

"Oh my gosh...and you saw her and everything! That is so wonderful Baelfire! I'm sorry about your father though. It must be so hard..." she rambled.

"Well, I thought coming here would help me to forget or cope with it at least."

"There's a lot here that will make you wish you were back at home," she said. "I didn't want to come, but I've survived this long. Ogres are most terrifying."

"I'll bet." Bae said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the two pieces of parer his parents had given him.

"What are those?" she asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Letters, one from Papa, another from my mother," he replied.

The first one he opened was from his mother:

_To my dearest Baelfire,_

_There is so much I wish I could say to you, but there is not enough time for me in which to say it. I know I have missed so much of your life, but based on the past few weeks of knowing you, I already see many similarities in myself within you as well. You are my son, Baelfire, and your father is proud of you. I'm proud of you. I could see it in your eyes that you wanted to fight this war, or die trying._

_You understand more than what your father may give you credit for sometimes, and in this decision, I hope you are satisfied. In this letter, I could tell you many things, but I must be brief, for there is only so much ink._

_First thing is that your father loves you with all his heart. I want you to believe that, no matter what may sway you to think otherwise. His magic has increased, even more than when I met him. Magic is power, Baelfire, and that is what he's needed to survive. I know he can be a difficult man to love, but I do just the same._

_He saved my life, I'm sure I told you the story._

_The next thing, if you encounter any direct attacks with an ogre and all you have is a dagger in hand, always dodge to your left and strike it in the side a quick as you can. Trip it either by cutting its legs or with your foot, just get it on the ground, and then take a stab at its head and don't hold back. I thought you would have use for this knowledge. Oh, and also, if they attack in groups, climb as fast you can up a tree, and if you find yourself in a field, do not remain in the middle of the group That is how they will get you for sure. Keep one of them in the middle and try to deal with them one by one._

_Be brave, Bae. I know you can do that for us. I wish you the best of luck, and I will continue praying that you will either return home or walk amongst the angels. For surely you have earned it, my son. I love you always_

_~Maria_

Baelfire shed a tear reading that, for his mother always had a way with words. Morraine watched him, wrapping her right arm around him as he opened the next one. A thread of gold fastened its way around his neck all by itself.

"Whoa," Morraine breathed in shock and awe. "That's...that's gold! Pure, gold. What does the letter say?"

"It's from Rumpelstiltskin," Bae replied. "Remember, he spins that kind of stuff now."

"There's no...clasp to take it off," Morraine noted to him.

"Maybe that's the point."

He read the letter:

_To my one and only son, Bae,_

_As I write this letter tonight, I feel as though I am losing you. Though it pains me a great deal, I know this is what you've wanted and who am I to stop you? I know I haven't always been the greatest father to you, and I did not listen as much as I should have. You are my greatest treasure, boy. There is no amount of gold that can ever replace you or even compare._

_The time I spent with you does not seem to satisfy me, for it could never be enough. My magic has blinded me perhaps. I could not believe I could not see what you were becoming: a strong, brave, noble-hearted man. When your mother and I did what we did, I didn't think I could manage, but I saw one day you'd spun the wool for me; and at that moment, I knew I had done something right._

_Those few weeks we had with your mother are the ones I will always cherish. Though there may be days when I can hardly stand the deal that I made what seems now like so long ago, I know that to have something like that and a boy like you in my life...it's the greatest feeling in the world._

_I am sorry for what I've done, for us running away and the beggar we met. I never should have ran, I should have listened to you. This thread has made its way around your neck. I enchanted it to do so. Keep it with you to remind you of me, and may it give you the strength to fight and hang on._

_I pray for your safe journey, and upon your return I can assure you that you will never again have to worry about going hungry or being cold ever again. Bae, I only want what is your happiness, and perhaps I may not have shown that as much as I should have._

_All those years we spent together, spinning the wool into silk, and who could forget the time when somehow got yourself wrapped in the threads of the wheel? Or when we fell asleep in the straw because we'd been spinning all night? Remember these times, as I will._

_Bae, I love you. Come home safely._

_Your father,_

_Rumpelstiltskin_

"Wow, they put a lot of time into those," Morraine commented. Bae wiped a few more tears away.

"Yeah, yeah they did. I do miss them," he said.

"I miss mine too," she replied.

They fell asleep in the straw next to each other, where all the other children were. Their hands clasped tight, Bae cried himself to sleep and Morriane waited him out. She remembered what it was like her first night, for she'd done the same thing.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty: What a Mother Has to Do**

His angered raged, an ever-flowing river of determination and longing. He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't even believe he'd let Bae out onto the battlefield in the first place. Not with what he experienced. His new brown boots clashed with the stones 1-2-3-4, conspicuously, and at a pace no ordinary person could keep up with. Everyone who laid eyes on him stepped aside, making a path for someone they barely knew. Someone they would surely come to get to know...

Through his eyes reflected an insanity far greater than the Mad Hatter's. There were red tints along the whitest part of his eyes, the magic was coursing through his veins rapidly as it always had when he was angered. If he could stop this war, and he knew he could, this could open up a whole new line of business. Everyone would be looking to him for matters, and he would be in control. This business he had with kings could be his last. He wouldn't need them anymore, not with the power he would soon have. It was there, burning deep inside of him, never satisfied.

Deeper still he held those memories of his son, Baelfire. The very thing that kept him alive and still in this world...and he let him go to war. All because Maria and Bae himself insisted that he go. No, he could never put Baelfire in the lines of fire again. If there was even a scratch on his child after this, there would be no mercy. Bae was his, and he could never let him engage in such affairs.

The dark waves in his hair moved not in the slightest, his face held a sincere, powerful expression. They knew who was really in control. If they didn't now, they would later! As his stride become ever faster yet consistent, long arms with straightened wrists and earthly-tinted hands, tipped with sharpened, black claws, Rumpelstiltskin had some business today.

"Halt! You are forbidden upon this point. Only knights can-"

Without another word and the wave of his hand, glistening purple hinted with black, the Dark One picked off each guard that tried to stop him. It felt too easy. They hit their backs with a shattering sound of grunts and cracks as their bodies crashed into the stoned walls on either side of them. Another wave and Rumpelstiltskin was through the gate.

No one came after him as he stepped out onto the fronts of ogre wars. When the knights there tried to stop him, he pushed them aside without an effort.

"You're going home. All of you!" his voice sounded into the air with equal authority of the knights, if not more. He'd certainly proved himself thus far he was worthy of such. The children gave cries of hope and happiness as they hugged each other.

Baelfire stood amongst the crowd, unable to believe his eyes. His father stood there, high above on the hill where they had almost run down, saying that the wars would stop on his account. That man up there scanned the crowd, and Bae knew who he was looking for.

"Papa!" Bae cried, waving his arms in the air. Rumpelstiltskin instantly eyed his own son, jumping from his place atop the hill and Bae ran to his father. He'd give anything to feel another moment like this one. Bae's arms wrapped around him.

"I thought you said you wouldn't do this," he whispered into his father's ear. Time to cut the crap. Rumpelstiltskin now realized Bae was putting on an act, and to be honest, he couldn't believe that was the first thing his son said to him.

"I'm doing this for you," Rumpel whispered back, and all the children, those thousands of children, were sent off the battlefield as Rumpelstiltskin made his negotiations with the ogres.

Baelfire couldn't believe this. He and Morraine both stood together. She smiled.

* * *

><p>"He stood like a hero. That's amazing!" she breathed, looking at Bae who didn't seem convinced. Not in the slightest. "Aren't you happy it's over?"<p>

"If I wouldn't have been here, he'd have never done this," Bae said, turning away.

"Then I have you to thank," Morraine said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Bae smirked.

"I suppose."

Rumpelstiltskin led the children back to their villages, keeping his own child at his side.

"Ready to go home now?" Rumpel asked.

"Yes, Papa. I'm sure Mother will be happy to see us," Bae said, reflecting upon his father for a few moments.

"She'll be happy to see you more than me."

* * *

><p>A few weeks after the war was over, Rumpel's family was living very well. They even had a maid, though Maria tended to make things easier for her whenever she could it seemed. Bae smirked after the servant girl left a room she had just entered.<p>

"You know Papa hates that," Bae said, seeing his mother folding clothes.

"Well, he has to deal with me then," Maria said. "besides, the poor girl has enough to do around here." Bae smiled, and then Rumpelstiltskin invited him to walk.

Whenever this happened, it just made Baelfire realize what kind of special treatment his father really gave him. The other kids would run away, and he'd be left to sit by himself. Even though his father encouraged him to run along and play with them, he knew it was hopeless.

Plain and simple, his father's power was getting the better of him by the minute. The people began to fear him, and with good reason.

"Baelfire," a familiar voice called.

"Hey Morraine, you'd better go," Bae said, seeing her all freshened up.

"No, I can't, there's something I have to tell you..." she began. Bae eyed her intently.

"I don't know, I just want to sit and think."

"Your father."

"He's getting worse."

Morraine told him about something she heard among the people in town when they were in the ogre wars. It was a guardian of the night that could probably solve his problems. Bae took up her offer, but Morraine didn't get to tell him her news, at least, not before Rumpelstiltskin came back.

"Your friend didn't want to say hello?" his father asked.

"You frighten them," Bae said candidly, looking down. "There's stains on your boots."

"Oh, about that...we'll be needing a new maid," Rumpel replied. Bae's eyes widened, and they got into another argument about his power. Rumpelstiltskin hated those; all he wanted was Bae's happiness.

When they came back into the house, Bae went straight to his room, that familiar look in his eyes. Maria knew what had happened.

"Really?" Maria asked, walking into the kitchen. "again?"

"I can't help it. It's like there's nothing to satisfy him," Rumpel complained.

"You can do anything..." Maria taunted him. He sighed.

"Not in the mood, Dearie."

"I know," she said, coming up behind him. "You _have_ been a little harsh with people, though."

He didn't have a comment for that, but Maria didn't expect him to reply. She sat quiet and worked his shoulders a little. She would go and talk to him later. After hearing him sigh and fall into the chair, she got up. He followed her, and already she knew what he wanted.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," she said, making her way up the stairs. Rumpel gave her a look then went the other direction.

* * *

><p>"Bae."<p>

Baelfire looked up from his hands. He came behind her and shut the door quickly.

"I have something to tell you," he said.

Baelfire explained what Morraine told him today. Everything that came out of his mouth was something Maria sort of already knew. She knew about the place where there is no magic. A place like that would definitely put Rumpelstiltskin in _his_ place. Bae seemed excited about all of this, and how it was going to work and how they would all live together in happiness.

The only thing was, Maria also knew he'd never go with Bae. Rumpelstiltskin wouldn't take such a step, not for anything. She thought the power was too deep within him, for the time being. From her point of view, this needed to happen. It might be a way for him to finally wake up and deal with himself. Maybe he'll finally realize what power had truly done to him.

After Maria shut Bae's door, biding him good night, she stood atop the stairs, thinking to herself. As much as she would hate to lose Bae to such a thing, it may the thing to set Rumpel straight. Bae undoubtedly knew what was going on, and like her, he intended to change what he did not like. She sighed, knowing what to do tonight: keep Rumpel distracted so their son could make it outside alone.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One: Dealing With Loss**

The clear bean in his hands, it was done. Bae showed his mother the bean, and she stared at it with awe. She remembered those from a very long time ago. The Blue Fairy was wrong though. That was not the last one. She knew Merlin still held a few.

When he ran up to his room, her eyes filled with tears as she went up after him.

"Bae, I cannot go with you," she said after she closed the door.

"Why? Mom, you have to come. All of us do," Bae pleaded.

"Baelfire, there are reasons why I cannot. Please, listen." Maria told him that the main reason she could not leave was because she was bound to an agreement with someone else, not Rumpelstiltskin. She lied the entire time, but Bae took it harshly. Maria did her best to be strong as she held him tight.

"Bae, don't worry. I will be fine. You and your father must go together. I cannot leave. I just can't. I'm so sorry Bae. I know you two will be fine. You've managed so far without me."

The boy looked at the floor, tears in his eyes as well. They both cried on each other, and thankfully Rumpelstiltskin was not in the house at this time. The two made a pact that when they saw each other again, they would never part after that. Baelfire agreed to this, hoping that his father would come with him. He remembered the agreement he and his father made.

The rest of the day, Baelfire spent with his mother. He knew that since he was not to see her again for a long while at the very least, he would spend his last moments here with her until then. Rumpelstiltskin came home later that night. Maria was sure to take her leave before then.

* * *

><p>"Come on, we have to go," Bae said.<p>

"Where are you taking us?" his father panted after him. "What kind of a world is without magic?"

"You know you're getting worse. Come on, Papa, we can be together. Power won't matter-"

"Bae, I can't."

Bae threw the bean down, pulling his father behind him. They were in a war of strength, and it was only Rumpel's fear that made Bae gain on him. The green vortex was vast, wide, and knowing that his power would be taken from him, even with Bae, he resisted.

"Come on!" Bae shouted.

"I can't! No, I can't!" Rumpel shouted again and again. Bae was enraged by this. They made a deal! Now, he was backing out.

"You coward!" Bae shouted at him as he pulled his father harder into the vortex. "We can be together, we can be happy!"

"I can't Bae."

Rumpelstiltskin, seeing the look of anger in Bae's eyes, grew afraid. He saw the two sides against him, and he pulled the dagger from his pocket, thrusting it into the ground. The two were literally dragging themselves into the vortex, but Rumpelstiltskin wouldn't have it.

The wind was sharply hitting their faces in the depths of the night where Rumpelstiltskin made the greatest mistake of his life...

He let his own son go. He let him go into the vortex by himself to a land where there was no magic. He sighed in relief for a few moments that the vortex was gone and that his power was still with him.

Then that spark reignited within him.

"Bae?" He asked into the air, over and over until his voice grew with rage and sorrow as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"BAE! I'll come with you!" Rumpelstiltskin dug hopelessly at the ground, hoping the vortex was still there. It was this moment he saw that he truly was cursed. This power had overcome him to the extent of which he just chose it over his own family. The thing he loved most was gone forever because he wanted his power.

He was nothing. He felt like nothing, even with his power now. Baelfire was gone, and he had to figure out how to get him back.

Instantly, he conjured a meeting with the Blue Fairy, where he nearly stumbled back at her arrival.

"There has to be a way, a rip through the dimension, a spell, a curse," he pleaded, and he saw her expression alter at the last suggestion. He pointed at her.

"A curse! A curse will do it," Rumpelstiltskin exclaimed, and that's all he needed to know. If he could conjure a curse, then it could bring Baelfire back. His son went to land without magic, so that meant he had to create a curse that created a place without magic.

Knowledge truly was the power of all things. The Blue Fairy and he argued some more, and basically she blamed him for what happened to Baelfire. Although he knew it was true, he could not accept that he just let the person he tried to protect go so simply.

* * *

><p>Maria had just returned to their soon-to-be-old place, finding no one in the house. She figured Rumpelstiltskin may have actually gone with Baelfire. When she considered the option, she sighed in slight relief. She'd miss them both terribly, but at least she knew he was not that heartless. If she really wanted to, Merlin could probably-<p>

Then, all her thoughts were defied as someone barged in through the door. Rumpelstiltskin!

Maria's eyes widened. He'd been with Baelfire, she knew it. But, he was not here. Oh no...

Rumpelstiltskin, weakened to the point of exhaustion, lifted his head slowly up to see Maria standing in shock at him. His knees hit the floor, and he felt that odd twist in his weaker leg. She saw his tears hit the floor. She herself sniffled. Bae had gone by himself to the other world, without magic.

"Bae..." he said through his gasping for air and all the tears. "He's gone. I let him go!"

"I know..." she said. "Shhh, don't talk."

Maria rested her chin upon the top of his head.

"But-But-I can find him again," he said. "A curse will do it, a curse will bring him back."

"The deal you made with the queen-" she began.

"I just have to strengthen it," Rumpel confessed. I couldn't believe this! All he had to do was make the curse stronger than he already had, to make it even worse than what he'd first given to her (which he admitted was quite lame to begin with, even for him).

Then, the tears came back. So what if he had a way out? That would be a very long time to come. Bae was gone now...

Maria cried silently, trying to keep it to herself. So he really didn't go with him. She was right, but she couldn't leave him. Her own anger rested all on him, but if she left him alone, she'd be no better than he was when he decided to let go of his own son. They stood up and walked into their bedroom, lying on the bed together.

In a few weeks, the castle's construction would be completely finished and they would finish moving their things inside. Neither of them would be willing to go into Bae's room, but Maria knew it would have to be her. For now though, she held Rumpelstiltskin closer and closer as they both cried on each other for the loss of their son...for now.

* * *

><p>News quickly reached the town about Baelfire's disappearance. Morraine's eyes swelled with tears...she never got to tell him... All she could do was tell his parents before it was too late. That is, if they would have her. She was deathly afraid of Rumpelstiltskin, but his mother, according to Bae himself, was almost entirely different. Morraine hoped he was right.<p>

There were plenty of nights where Maria had to sit up with Rumpelstiltskin, and after two days, he made it sound as if Bae could be found again. He began leaving the house for hours and hours, sometimes without eating anything the entire day. Maria looked after him hopelessly as she watched him leave every morning and every night come back with nothing but a sore body and a broken heart.

He was looking for Baelfire, literally out there, where the Blue Fairy told him that night he would never be found. Rumpelstiltskin did not want to believe it was true. Each day, he'd set out, sinking to his knees by a tree when his body gave out to rest for a few moments. Rumpel would call out his son's name in desperation, just wanting there to be any sign of Baelfire that he could find.

One night, he came to the pit where he last saw his son. He sank down and pounded his fist as hard as he could into the ground. Even with magic, the hole was still a hole.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two: News**

No matter how many riches they had, no matter how many rooms were filled, nothing was comparable. The castle was finally finished, and Maria had finally gotten Rumpelstiltskin to stop his search for at least a few days so they could move into the castle. Sighing, he agreed to her conditions.

She came over to him, placing her hands on his chest and leaning against him.

"Things are going to be all right," she said. "Baelfire will find us. He'll return, or we'll find him. I promise."

The Dark One embraced his wife in return, not saying a word, though he admitted it to himself that he needed to hear those words.

After they moved into the castle, both of them were exhausted, but Rumpelstiltskin still did not sleep. He just placed a large spinning wheel into the castle, and that was when he began spinning straw into gold again. Maria had never seen him do it so often before, but he never complained, he certainly shed tears less often, but he also never ate.

Maria knew better than to offer him anything if he was spinning. She wondered what he would do with all that gold as she tended to the house because he insisted that they do not get another maid. The only thing that came to his mind about a maid was Baelfire's face and his disappointment in his father that he was causing so many lives pain and suffering despite what he did for the children of the front lands that day. It seemed like so long ago.

When she had finally finished her work for the evening, she found him still spinning so Maria sat by the fire. After she cleared her throat of the thing stuck in it, she heard the wheel cease. She turned her head from the blaze to see him looking at her, that empty expression in his eyes changing to a sorrowful but reflective and deeply thoughtful one. He rose from the stool and came to join her.

"How was your day?" he was trying to start conversation.

"Busy around here. I ran into town and got some cherries. Thinking about making a pie tomorrow," I told him. "How did your day go?"

"It was all right I suppose," he replied, turning to her. "I've decided that I will search for Bae in my free time, but not all the time. I'm sorry I haven't been around."

"It's all right," she said. "I know you miss him. So do I."

Maria came closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He sighed.

"I still have you, Dearie," he said, but Maria caught his tone. She sensed that he couldn't believe she was still with him, even after everything that had happened, but it was for that same reason why she was.

"Are you going to come to bed with me tonight?" Maria asked quietly.

"Yes."

* * *

><p>The next morning, there was an unexpected knock at the castle doors. Maria answered it, seeing Rumpel was once again, at the wheel. It was Morraine!<p>

"It's my fault," she said right away and in tears, sobbing almost uncontrollably. "I should have never told him..."

"Morraine," Maria shut the door and stood outside with her. "What are you doing? What do you mean?"

"I told him about the Blue Fairy..." Morraine sobbed. Maria tried to sooth her, and it seemed to be working. She didn't want Rumpelstiltskin to hear this until she was sure he wouldn't get upset.

When she stopped crying, Maria could see that it wasn't because Bae was gone that she was crying.

"You're...you're his mother...Maria," Morraine finally said. "How did you know my name?"

"Bae told me a lot about you," Maria replied. Morraine's eyes widened.

"He-he did?"

"Yes, now why are you acting so scared and how did you get here?"

Morraine explained that she walked from the village to the castle, which was quite the ways to go, and that she came because she never had the chance to tell Baelfire what had happened to her.

"It affects all of you, but I was afraid the Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin...that he was for surely have me turned into a snail and stomped on," she said, looking down.

"Bae's disappearance has affected us both too deeply. The only magic I've seen him do, even at his worst, was at that spinning wheel," Maria assured Morraine. "Now, just tell me what you didn't get to tell Bae."

"Well, you see...we were together during the wars for a few days...and we sorta...we might have-" Morraine was having a difficult time with this, but Maria encouraged her.

"I'm pregnant."

Maria's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"I loved him," Morraine said. "I did, I really did, and we didn't know what night would be our last, so the day before Rumpelstiltskin saved everyone, it happened. I'm so sorry, but I just-I can't afford to take care of this child, and I'm not ready. So, I was scared because I couldn't tell Baelfire and I-" Morraine was sobbing again.

Maria took the girl into her arms. Rumpelstiltskin would either freak out and lose it or he'd be stunned at this. Maria wasn't sure which one it would be just yet.

"Okay, here's what I'm going to do. We're going to get you inside," she told Morraine, and right when they entered the dinning room, Rumpelstiltskin recognized the girl.

"Bae's friend," Rumpel addressed her. "I don't think we've been properly introduced."

"My name is Morraine," she stated boldly. "He showed me the letters you both wrote to him while we were in the war...I'm sorry for your loss."

"Well he's not dead!" Rumpelstiltskin shouted at her, standing from the wheel and pointing at her.

"Don't upset her!" Maria yelled, pulling the girl behind her.

"Well, he's not!" Rumpelstiltskin argued.

"I know, I'm terribly sorry, Sir," Morraine said, her head low. She'd lost her nerve clearly. "I had something to tell him...but I think you should know too."

Maria eyed Rumpelstiltskin harshly. She knew that he was in pain and severely, but Morraine's condition seemed far more important, which Rumpelstiltskin didn't seem to understand. Maria had never chosen above him before. This must be one of those girl things he could never quite understand.

"All right, what's eating you dearie?" he asked. Morraine stayed behind Maria, fearful of Rumpelstiltskin.

"I'm-I'm pregnant," she finally said, putting her head down and hiding behind Maria. Maria looked at Rumpel, analyzing him for any signs of discomfort and anger.

However, he looked at the ground, simply seeming to be thinking about the matter. Maria didn't sense his anger, rather his sensitive side. Maria guided Morraine around her body.

"You'll be okay," she whispered the to frightened teenager. "Trust me..._he_ respects _you_ now."

The girl slowly walked away from Maria, looking at Rumpelstiltskin. The Dark One stared at the girl, silent. It was then Morraine understood what Baelfire meant. His father was confusing, for she couldn't tell if he was still thinking or if he had already decided his opinion of her. He then averted his eyes to her stomach, flinching as his eyes blinked.

"Rumpel," Maria began cautiously. "You can sense it can't you?"

"Yes...I can," Rumpelstiltskin walked closer, and Morraine froze merely out of fear. He stopped when he came to her. "Bae...he didn't know?"

"I didn't have the chance to tell him," she confessed.

Maria clued her that she had said enough. As she went to Rumpel's side, she saw an image flash before her eyes. Her hand drew back as a reaction. They exchanged a glance.

"What is it?" Morraine asked.

"We can see the child," Maria explained. Rumpel remained silent, as his wife expected. She knew he might be caught up with the image of his grandchild, so Maria propsed the Morraine stay with them until other accommodations could be made and she was better off.

"You and my boy-really?" Rumpel said randomly into the air, though it was clearly directed at Morraine.

"Yes..."

"When?" He turned to see her again.

"A few days before you arrived to save us."

"Were you...in love?"

Morraine was shocked by that question, and it took her a moment to reply.

"Yes." Rumpelstiltskin nodded them off.

Morraine's face lit up toward Maria, and since Rumpelstiltskin was not in the mood to say otherwise, Maria led her to one of their guest rooms.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Morraine was talking with Rumpelstiltskin, to Maria's greatest surprise. Though it was brief, Maria saw this as progress. She took the dishes tonight.<p>

"Thank you for letting me stay," Morraine said gently, sitting next to Rumpelstiltskin as he spun at the wheel, but she didn't look just yet at what he was doing.

"It's no trouble," he replied as the wheel sounded gently.

Morraine turned around to get a good look at Baelfire's father. Clothed with golden-threaded silk shirt and a blood-red vest buttoned all the way up his chest, Rumpelstiltskin's hands looked threatening; however, they gently guided the wheel and the thread along it.

His face held a pondering expression, and his eyes were focused intently on the thread's motion along the wheel. Her eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips. Rumpelstiltskin didn't falter in the slightest, he just kept spinning.

"So...you really can spin straw into gold," she said with excitement as she came closer to see the result of the magic at work.

He looked to his right where her face was nearly right beside him. She met his eyes and she knew for certain that a small smirk rested on the corner of his gold-dusted lips.

"Yes, yes I can," he said in a quieter tone. Maria came into the room, smiling at Morraine as she passed by. When she came back downstairs, passing Morraine on the way, the girl smirked and then went quietly.

"Coming to bed?" Maria asked, placing her hands on Rumpelstiltskin's shoulders.

He stood up and took her into his arms gently, which she found comforting as she returned the favor.

"Yes, of course I will," he told me.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Taking What's Mine**

I asked Morraine where she planned to go after I had explained Rumpelstiltskin's complexities, which apparently Bae had already covered some of that for me. She couldn't stay here. I was beginning to question if _I_ should even be staying here.

Rumpelstiltskin spun his wheel more and more often over the next few weeks. I swear all he did was sit and wander for fresh straw to spin into more gold. He loved his power, but I knew the wheel was his way of coping with Bae's death. Mine was caring for Morraine, and I had to admit, she was a lovely young woman. Baelfire chose well, and she was very devoted.

"I know he's gone, but I can't let that prevent me from having his child...and besides, I want someone to remember Bae," Morraine told me as we did the dishes together.

"I am sorry I have never met you before," I told her. "I think you are a wonderful girl Morraine. I only wish I could have seen you two get married."

She chuckled at the thought. Obviously, she'd had more time to mourn over Baelfire's death then Rumpel and I have.

"You must miss him," she mentioned after clearing the last plate. "I do too, but I try to remember he wanted to come to war, so he knew what that meant. He's so brave."

"Rumpelstiltskin is torn. I hate seeing him in such a state. Bae means everything to him," I told her. "I hate seeing him like that. His power is taking over him, I can already sense it."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't think...I don't think I'm enough anymore," I told her honestly. "I mean, what we have or had, I can't tell anymore...I can connect with him, and I know he cares for me. It's just...I can't control him as I once could. If I had my magic I'm sure I could, but now, there is no way."

"Are you implying that you are to leave him?"

"Not completely," I said, eyeing her but not turning my head. "I'll still watch him, no matter how hard it hurts. I'll get my magic back, I know how. It was Bae's idea, and I think it'll do just enough."

I told her my plan. I loved Rumpelstiltskin more than anything, but this had to be done. I had to give him space, perhaps not even remember we were together. That last thing will be impossible. To watch over him is plenty for me. Someone has to make sure he doesn't go completely insane. All I needed was to take back my own power, and then I could hold all of its worth.

Perhaps another woman will cure him of this burden he holds because I can't handle him now. I saved him in my own way, and now he's completely back on his feet, even higher than what he was before. We'll see each other, but he may not recognize what I mean to him.

When Morraine and I went through Baelfire's things, I decided that all I wanted from Bae was the letter he wrote to us. After I read it, Morraine said she helped him write it out and that perhaps we should let Rumpelstiltskin keep the clothing. I couldn't agree more. He needed a piece of his son.

* * *

><p>Another few months came and went, but by then, Morraine and I had found a comfortable place in town. Rumpelstiltskin still spun the wheel, and when I came back from checking the place out, I had to tell him what was going on.<p>

"I must leave," I said. "I'm going to work with my magic..."

"Dearie," he addressed. "I realize what is going on. I'm not stupid. You should look after Morraine...I'll be fine."

"So," I was tearing up a little. "Is that it...for us then?"

"Oh no, Maria. I will always love you," he told me, kissing me after he said that. "I want to protect you. Look at me, this is not what you deserve. I do not blame you for leaving. I have protected what is mine, and I could not be more satisfied after what's been done. Go."

I was relieved to hear that! So, _so_ relieved there were no words to express it.

"But before you leave, my dear," he said, turning to the wheel. He picked up a bunch of gold thread. "I cannot leave you with nothing, and I will spin _plenty_ more!"

My jaw nearly dropped as I accepted what he wanted so badly to give to me. I thanked him, knowing we could live comfortably.

"I will see you," I promised him. "I'll sneak up here for old times sake if I must, but I will see you, Rumpelstiltskin. You have my word."

He smirked, showing his appreciation towards my offer and decided to hold me to that. Our lives will remain ever complicated by this, but that was fine with me. Moving on was necessary, but there will always be something there, whenever we see each other. Everything seemed to be falling apart though, and I hated it more than anything else to have to leave Rumpelstiltskin.

* * *

><p>Morraine was comfortably moved in a short while later, which was good because she was starting to show. The place was perfect and we still had plenty of gold thread we intended to save. I was inside the castle this morning, picking up my past bag, and when I turned around, Rumpel was standing in my doorway.<p>

He wouldn't let me pass, and it was then I remembered the plan.

I lifted my hand to tap his head and I repeated words I memorized as a child, thinking at the time I would never say them. Now, I was taking back my power. Rumpelstiltskin stood to my surprise as I took back my magic. What a feeling! My energy had returned and I felt as if I could do anything. Probably because I could. When I tried moving him, that's when I realized I couldn't do _anything_ I wanted. My magic did feel very strong though. Rumpel must have enhanced it after he stabbed that beggar.

"What?" I asked. He just looked at me, and I knew what it was in a matter of minutes form the way he was eyeing me.

"Why?" I asked then.

"Because," he simply told me, a smile forming upon his face. "I want it...and I know you do. Plus you owe me for what you just did."

"I took back what was mine," I countered.

"And now I get to take what's mine...again," he laughed after that.

I sighed; he knew me too well...


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four: It's Complicated**

"What kept you?" Morraine asked. It was nearly sunset, and I was supposed to be back around lunch. Talk about being late.

"Sex," I candidly told her, causing her eye brows to raise. She narrowed her eyes at me, thinking I had more to add.

"All right, sex...three times," I admitted and she laughed out loud.

"That is _so_ gross!" she exclaimed while laughing.

"At least I got my magic back," I said proudly, giving in to the laughter seconds later.

I carried on my duties with Morraine, and months later when she finally had her baby, I decided to check on Rumpelstiltskin. Having not seen him in a while, I thought about the possibility of him moving on, away from me. All I want is for him to be happy...

When I peaked through a window, I saw a girl sitting up straight and it seemed to me like they were talking. I knew that perhaps he'd gotten her in a deal, for she didn't seem to be leaving the house at all. Waiting for my chance took until nightfall, but that was fine with me. It was almost spring anyway.

My magic opened the door. There was no need for a knock.

"Rumpel," I greeted.

He stared at me, in shock as if I were an apparition before him.

"M-maria?" he gasped, standing from his spinning wheel. I gave him a hug.

"I see you're doing well," I noted. Rumpelstiltskin was now in full control of his magic. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him though, for he still amazed me so.

"Yes, things are coming along just fine," he replied, though I sensed he was a bit on edge.

"I just came to see how you were," I told him honestly. "I'm happy for you."

"Maria..." he sighed. "You know I will always love you..."

"I know about her, and I'm all right. Really, I'm okay. Morraine had her child yesterday. Baby boy. I just thought you should know. She named him after his father."

"Oh...I see," Rumpelstiltskin sighed, looking into my eyes. "Still, with or without Belle...I will always love you Maria. I protected you at the very least from the queen's wrath, and I'll _never_ regret that."

"I love you too Rumpelstiltskin," I replied, and he pulled me in for a kiss. I saw a hint of his skin return to a flesh color.

"Uh..." he sighed, his eyes still closed. "What's that?" I used my magic to bring back his own power.

"So, you finally consider it a curse?" I said, a smirk on my face. His eyes widened a little.

"The-the curse...when I-you saw my...flesh?" he asked me awkwardly.

I nodded, tears in my eyes. Now I knew it for sure. A person can have more than one true love, and I knew I was one of his. Belle was clearly the other. I'll always know him on a level she may never understand, probably because she didn't have magic.

"I gave it all back to you don't worry," I said as I saw him staring at his hands, still filled with his powerful magic. "Remember, I can alter things too."

"Oh how could I forget?" he asked, smirking. "Thank you dearie..."

We stood there for a few moments before kissing again, still not wanting to let each other go.

"I wish you good luck with Belle," I told him, a few tears swelling in my eyes, which made me stare at the ground.

"Maria, don't say it like that. It's like I'll never see you again!" he said to me, lifting my chin with two fingers.

I embraced him again before taking my leave, feeling that all I could really do was keep our relationship alive and well enough. I told him I'd sneak by once and a while, which he agreed to fully. We talked a while about the old days when we were teenagers and when the Evil Queen took me from him...how he saved me.

"Maria, this makes me not want to let you leave this castle," Rumpelstiltskin told me, staring intently into the blaze we'd been sitting near the entire time. I smiled because I didn't want to leave either. He is such a precious thing to me, and I enjoy his company.

"I know, I know. But alas, I must return to Morraine," I told him, standing up.

He walked me to the front door where he closed the doors so it was just us on the porch. Grasping me tightly, he gave me a passionate kiss. I returned his favor, tasting apples on his breath as I always had. When we released, we were still bound to each other by our arms.

"I'll see you," I told him calmly. "I know you don't want me to leave, but I'll be back. You know how to reach me quickly enough."

"...Straw into gold..." he breathed after a few moments of pondering it, making me smile.

I kissed him on the cheek one last time before walking down the path. I looked back to see him standing on the porch, watching me leave. Looking down at my hand, I still wore his ring, but it seemed as though he'd either forgotten or just never spoke of it. I didn't mind. It was complicated anyways.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Raging Tears**

There was a knock at the door a few months later. I hadn't seen Rumpel since the day I snuck in that one time. Yet, at my door was a girl, brokenhearted and tears pouring down her face.

"Whoa," I said. "What's wrong? Come in." I dragged her by force into the house where Morraine was out with the baby. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was Belle. This was the girl Rumpel had fallen for.

"You're Belle, aren't you?" I asked, and she nodded, throwing herself at me. She really was helpless at the moment. As she cried I sensed that Rumpelstiltskin had done something...something very awful.

She handed me a letter, and I was afraid to read it in front of her, but something inside of me told me that this letter was important. Perhaps it would explain everything. With Belle crying on me, completely helpless and broken, I read the letter:

_SIG now. Maria...I cannot explain myself for this, but by God if you don't come...I don't know what I will do. I fell again...I felt it, but...SHE ruined it. She completely ruined..._

The rest was splattered with ink as if he couldn't write or tears smeared the writing. At the bottom I caught something though...

_My life has been nothing but corruption and hate. Maria..._

I knew that I would understand if I left, if I went to him. I waited for Morraine to come back though. Belle could not be left alone, not like this.

"Dear...come on, you can tell me. Rumpelstiltskin," I urged her.

"He threw me out. He just...he wouldn't believe me...I love him...I love him so much I just-what won't he-we-" she sobbed through endless waterfalls of tears.

Rumpelstiltskin, his life was tragic. It began with the Dark One. He had to give me up and then Bae... Then someone like Belle, her good intentions, he didn't believe in that anymore. Happily ever after and love didn't exist for him...at least not with the Evil Queen around. My take on this, he threw her out because he thought the Evil Queen got to her somehow because he just couldn't accept love anymore. I was the only one who could get through to him, and now both of them were miserable.

Tears fell from my own face. The thoughts raced through my mind. If the curse was to be unleashed as he said, and I was protected, that meant I could go anywhere I wanted; I wouldn't even matter in the world the queen would create. Bae wasn't here, so he was protected too. Somewhere...

I could influence things perhaps, but Rumpel and Belle were still going to be there. Rumpel would remember everything and she would remember probably nothing. But he will know, and that is far far worse I would think. To be sucked into such a thing: a knowledge that no one else will have. Power to be sure, but when everyone else regained memory...she'll remember feeling like this.

"Belle," I said slowly, knowing exactly what she had to hear. "Rumpelstiltskin...he loves you. I can see that, I know it's there. His life contradicts him to believe in it though. He cannot trust himself. Love is something he cannot accept. He needs time..."

I sniffled.

"I promise that he will come around and that he will regret everything he's just done to you. He'll want you back and I pray you accept him. He needs you, but he also needs a few chances."

"H-how do you know that?" she asked through her tears. Her entire body shook with a violence I knew of only too well. I sighed, more tears coming from my eyes.

"Because at one point, he and I...we were together. And if that wasn't love I don't know what is."

"What happened?"

"That's a long tale my dear, but all you need to know is, we fell deeply but we were forced apart and when our son left, he couldn't bear it. He got worse and worse, and his magic, that power, it consumed him. It's all he really has..."

"He said he lost you and his son," Belle told me.

"He did lose Bae, that I can say for sure. But me...he lost me in a different way. I left because his powers were uncontrollable. He didn't accept his power as a curse, so...I couldn't break it. I can still calm him, and I'm sorry but I'll have to leave you here..."

Just then, Morraine walked in the house with the baby, looking at me in shock.

"Calm her. I cannot delay any longer," I demanded, heading for the door, grabbing my cloak on the way out. Morraine looked back at me, probably wondering why I was crying.

* * *

><p>The place was destroyed, and by God I had never seen anything like it in all my years. Rumpelstiltskin was kneeling behind a leg of the large dinning room table. I already knew he too had been crying. His rage was still within him, I sensed that too.<p>

"Rumpelstiltskin," I had to say his full name and strongly. I knelt beside him, seeing a few cuts from glass most likely, and I forced him upright. Instantly, I kissed him and it was God to be damned if I didn't hold on for minutes at a time. It felt wrong, kissing him when he was clearly in love with someone else, but we were complicated like that. They had grown close, that was obvious enough when she came balling her eyes out. He must have sent her to deliver the message.

I held his lips to mine, feeling the magic's rage as he kissed me in return after a few minutes. I breathed through my nose, pulling him closer to me. He needed this; however, I also had to convince him that Belle was worth it, and that he should be with her, no matter what the cost. Love was always worth the price, and I think we proved that. When we were together, if what we had was not forced apart, I'd still be with him. Bae would be alive, and everything would be all right...

But life is instead filled with twists and turns. It is a winding road that cannot be easily predicted, and only those who can truly see it may also become corrupted because of it. Rumpelstiltskin knew power in the future would be more important than anything. So important that love was even cast aside, but I think he knew deep in his seemingly stoned heart that Belle was worth everything he had...more than everything he had. Had this have been me, he'd have given it all up. Hell, he gave his magic for me!

This was already eating away at him, but I held that kiss as if my life depended on it. My magic danced with his for a few moments, and slowly, after hours of provoking him and allowing me to come in complete contact with him, I could feel his body finally relaxing. Rumpelstiltskin shook less violently, his movement became more steady, and I had finally proved to him that things were going to be okay.

The power of silence, the self-control of each motion I made towards or with him, was in it of itself an art. This was instinct to me. I just-I just knew how to relieve him of pain and suffering. A person could have more than one true love, but only one can connect on a level unknown to scholars. Yes, he loves Belle more than he does me. He should be with Belle, and that is what he wants. Although I will never understand what we feel, that is how it has to be. But I don't mind because our connection is impossible to break. Not even a curse could destroy that, nothing could. Not on that level of sincerity.

"Rumpel..." I sighed, releasing his lips from mine and pulling him into a tight embrace as he lay limp, his head on my shoulder. "Can you hear me?'

He nodded in response.

"Good..." I had to muster up everything I had to not cry as I said what I had to next. "Then listen please. You love Belle, I know you do. Without the details and without the stories, look at it. Love is there for you. Now, I want you to take that love...and never let it go. If you let her go again, you'd better be _damn_ sure you know what you're doing."

I rested my own chin on top of his head while he came closer to me. There was an unspoken love between us that may never be official, but to those who know us, it's obvious. Not many know us though, so it is well enough discrete.

He didn't say anything as I expected but that was perfectly all right. Indeed, Rumpelstiltskin was a difficult man to love, but to me and Belle, he was worth it. He was worth everything.

My chest was becoming soaked with his tears, not that I minded. When I got him to stand, the first place he stumbled to was that old spinning wheel. Sitting, staring in a daze of confusion and hurt, his hand began to turn the wheel. That would calm his magic to be sure, so perhaps that was good distraction for him at the moment. I leaned over his shoulder, sighing deeply and longingly.

Without establishing any plans, I knew I was to stay with him for a while, so as I glanced at him from time to time to make sure he was all right, I decided to write to Morraine, explaining what had happened. Suggesting that she tell me anything Belle said to her, I folded the letter as I finished in gold ink. It was all he had lying around.

* * *

><p>"How could she ever love me? No one can..." he said aloud randomly in the silence that had surrounded us for hours.<p>

"She loves you as I do," I told him. "Unconditionally, and you'd best start believing that. No explanation could ever convince you...that's why you have feelings. They just exist."

The wheel ceased spinning and he turned to me, cueing me to walk closer which I did.

"She sees in you what I do," I told him for certain.

"I know," he said, standing. "But there are things she will never understand..." We kissed again.

"That is why you have me," I said, forcing a smile afterwards. Rumpel embraced me, just as tightly as when he rescued me from the Evil Queen. _That_ is how I knew he still loved me.

I felt his body rise and heard his exhale, deep and thorough. As long as he had love, things were all right for him. but kissing Belle meant giving up his power, no matter how badly and tempted he was to do such. Kissing me...well, that meant he could calm down, be at a longing peace when in times of rage and confusion, and then he could resume life after my work was done.

Still, he needed me for that, and I was willing to do such, no matter how pointless the task because I will never be the first person in his life that he will look to protect. If the Evil Queen had to kill one of us, I'd understand if he protected her instead of me. I'm not entirely sure if he knew that, or perhaps he _would_ pick me. Maybe he would, depending on how much his power meant to him at that moment in time. As a matter of fact, he definitely would. To see me killed would shatter him to a point of no return. Belle would never calm him from that, but I could calm him if he lost Belle...

"Stay tonight," he finally said.

"No matter what," I replied.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Exhaustion**

The night was long, rough through some hours, but by four in the morning, we had fallen asleep in each other's arms beside the fireplace. I awoke before he did, but even in sleep, he seemed troubled. To forget everything would be lovely. I sent my letter that morning, but Rumpel was in a deep slumber until the afternoon.

If only that power, that power, if only that power weren't in the way. He had to have seen something awful when we spoke of Her curse to throw aside Belle because she would get rid of his magical ability. Only when the Evil Queen was destroyed could he give that up though.

He let her go, and she came back. That was proof of love when he needed it. Trust is something he doesn't give quickly, whether he's in love or not. Trust between him and I, it's complicated, as all things are with us.

Neither of us ate a thing all day. Rumpel spun at the wheel and I watched him do it.

I heard his sighing, and I'm sure he heard mine as well.

"More controlled?" I asked.

"Working on it," he replied, urging me over to him.

We were inseparable today, though ironically not much was disposed between us. Physical contact, a different tale. To put it simply, there was a lot of kissing, and we made love twice. That felt exceedingly wrong, but at the same time, it was as if we were meant for each other.

"Why do we keep doing that?" I asked aloud, hoping to break this thick ice with something, anything I could.

"Doing what, dearie?" he asked, holding me closer in bed.

"What we just did?" I asked.

"Hmm...oh, _that_. Well, because you find me exceedingly attractive and I find you to be the best thing in my life," he suggested, making me smile. He was becoming more like himself, if only by a thread of a difference.

Our love is of the oddest kind. So long as Belle and Rumpel could be together, I knew that would be best. Our family was rather broken, but love...love kept it together just enough.

"That's a start," I replied, resting my head on his shoulder as I usually did. "You do realize this will have to stop right?"

"Yes," he sighed. "I do realize that...but I'm not sure it can. Only you can calm my rages."

"True enough."

We worked at Rumpelstiltskin's magic the rest of the day and into the night. He noticed the difference in my magic considerably as we worked on his control. The power was well enough in control when he was calm, but I couldn't guarantee I'd be there for every rage. Though I suppose that didn't matter. He never hurt anyone, just the place got destroyed; nothing an hour at the wheel couldn't replace. I would get him eventually. My power could not fail. It never did.

As if life couldn't get any worse, the first letter Morraine sent me said that Belle had gone back to her father and they had a large argument. There were no details, but it seemed a few days after, the Evil Queen filled in those blanks.

I was upstairs when the door sounded in my ears. I reached the stairs and stood frozen at the sight of her. Rumpel and her spoke for a long time, and I heard everything she said.

Running to his side as he replaced a golden vase with a chipped tea cup, he embraced me.

"I am so sorry," I said, feeling his magic suppressing itself. I felt he was going to shed a few tears again. He proved me right throughout the remainder of the night. When he fell asleep I wrote to Morraine, telling her what happened, or at least in the words of the Evil Queen. I also explained I knew she could be lying, but Rumpel was pretty set in believing her. Belle never returned to the castle though...no, the curse had come too soon I thought.

Inside, I thought She was truly lying to him, and Morraine thought so too. Yet, I chose to stay with Rumpel until I was sure he was okay. This would take a lot of healing on his part, and I had to be there. I could not bear to leave his side.

More rough days seemed to be my doom and his. This took a toll on him, heavily...now, if what the Evil Queen said was true, Belle _was_ gone forever. The story of his life is tragedy, and that broke my heart in it of itself. I began to wonder what his life would be like without me.

Leaving that castle would be the worst thing for me to do, and I couldn't help but apologize to Morraine. I invited her up to live at the castle for a while because I felt like I was shunning her a little. Why did I put Rumpelstiltskin above everything else in my life? It seemed as though I was always there when he needed me, and I was more than happy to fulfill such a role. We were married, perhaps that is why, but I did know I could never replace Belle.

Whatever I could do though, that's what I would. I kept coming back to him.

He spun at the wheel more frequently, and there were days he never said a word and he never ate a thing. Morraine took up my invitation, taking the long trip with the baby up to the dark castle. When I finished with her situation, I found Rumpel staring out the window, not spinning. I walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

His reaction was to instantly turn around and kiss me. Clearly, his mind was not all focused, but his passion still existed. That was important. Maybe he did love me still.

"My power-that damn power...why did I stab that man?" he said.

"Bae..." I responded. "You still have me..."

"Maria. I am sorry, I am so sorry." He was looking at the ring on my finger. I still wore it, but I had no idea why. He embraced me, knowing fully well that he'd been cruel, putting me through near Hell.

"Don't be," I said. "It's all right, it's all right-"

"No, how dare you say that! I have lost everything I have ever loved, except for you and this is why. I am a coward, Maria. I let her go because I didn't believe she could want me in the same way you do. Now, she's...she's dead.

"And you...why are you still here?"

"Because whether the gods damn me for it or not, I still love you, Rumpelstiltskin," I answered honestly.

I leaned against his chest, and that night, we slept in the same bed. There was no way Rumpelstiltskin could bear this alone. Although he was the one with the ultimate loss, I felt that my presence was necessary. He needed someone who wanted him, and he needed to realize that wanting someone is better than having power. However, being the Dark One, power meant everything to him. Still, true love's kiss...it existed.

"You're still cold," he smirked, pulling me closer.

"As usual," I told him, and as I undressed into a more fitting dress for sleeping, he noticed my skin for the first time in a long while.

"Scars?" he asked when I slipped the dress on. I turned around after tying it loosely in the front.

"Well, Regina did have me locked away for a few days," I said. "Who wouldn't have a scar or two?"

"I knew you had _those_, dearie. I healed them myself. I'm talking about this set right here..." his hand traced along my lower back over my recently acquired ones.

Morraine and I were out in the forest, and we got into a little dispute with her Majesty. I defended Morraine's child, thank goodness and Morraine herself threw off the Evil Queen. After a while, she left us alone, but her power surpassed mine, and she knew that.

"Oh, those...nothing much," I told him, climbing into the bed. He sat next to me, asking to see them. When I showed them off, he could easily tell it was by magic they were placed upon me.

"She hurt you?" he asked.

"Only a little..." I said, but he went berserk about this.

"Maria, sit up, _now_." I did as he said.

He began to use his own magic to cover up the scarring, and it worked eventually. It only took a few moments to recall the deal I made with him regarding this subject. I gasped as he was in the middle of his work.

"The deal..." I sighed quietly, looking back at him. He never broke one, and now he just had. To make it worse, it was _our_ deal. He told me that he'd heal everything, protect me no matter what, and he hadn't been there at the time...Not that I even took notice. I was busy with Morraine.

"Rumpel-"

"I promised...let me make this right, if nothing else," Rumpelstiltskin said, not wanting to say anything else. I left him to his work until what seemed like very late into the night.

"Can't even see it," he finally spoke in satisfaction. We both knew it was there...or that it had been there. There was a long silent moment after that, and that's when I laid on the bed. He crawled on top of me.

"There is nothing right about this either."

"Actually, it's completely right," I contradicted. "That deal was applying only to the time...I couldn't and didn't expect it to be extended."

"It has to be," he whispered. "I care more about you than anything, and I just..."

I shushed him with my lips.

"No more words," I commanded, but as he was about to interject..."Ah, ah..._no More. Words_."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven:**

"You never broke our deal," I told him after our fooling around.

"Yes, yes I did," Rumpel said definitely.

"Do _not_ hold this in account for everything else. I'm still here. I don't hate you, I don't feel any regrets. They'll eat away at you if you let them."

"They do...but I can't let Her do that again. I cannot lose you." Although he spoke those words with passion, I would not go anywhere no matter what happened. It was probably impossible for him to lose me completely, but I kept my distance. I suspected we would get closer because Rumpelstiltskin could not cease to allow me out of the castle.

* * *

><p>Morraine ended up running to town more than I, and due to that, we watched the baby.<p>

"He looks just like Bae," I commented.

"More than you know," he told me after I laid the boy down for a nap. "How are you so good at that?"

"I don't know," I said with an added shrug.

Talking became easier with each passing day, and I really believed that Morraine's baby helped us. Little Baelfire was a comfort for us both. He brought us back together, though Morraine was, at first, weary about leaving little Bae with Rumpelstiltskin in the same vicinity.

I had to admit, the nights were far more interesting than the daylight hours. The sound of the cackling fireplace, when the room was silent because Morraine and the baby were long since asleep. I would write for a while, listening to the ever-so-slight sound of Rumpelstiltskin's wheel as he gently spun the straw into more gold. We had a lot of that lately around here.

With only the fire for light, I decided finally to put away the quill and ink for the night. I set everything atop the mantel, glancing to see Rumpel sitting, wearing a gold shirt and brown leather pants. Just that made me want to go over and start kissing on him. As for my attire, it was a simple orange dress that hung down to my ankles. Long dresses have always looked better on me.

"How long are you going to spin?" I asked, breaking the precious silence. His skin glistened as did the golden thread when he turned to face the light of the blaze.

"Not sure, why?" he asked.

"I'm just-I hung up the writing myself just now. I'll be off to bed, if you'll still have me."

He left the wheel, standing beside me, feeling the warmth of the fire as he drew the outline of my face. His lips met mine as if it was just meant to happen that way. Everything was so natural with him, I couldn't believe it sometimes that love was like this. It seemed like everything I had ever dreamed.

"If you're asking whether or not I want you in my bed, the answer is always yes," he told me quietly. "Why would you question such a thing, dearie?"

"Just making sure I'm still wanted there," I informed him.

"You are_ more then welcome_," he corrected me. "I will join you in a few moments." I nodded with a smile on my face as I walked away from him and to the second floor to the bedroom.

The bed was fairly large, a bed fit for a king no doubt. The room itself was mostly red for color, for that's what the walls were painted. There was furniture that was of a dark brown wood all around. The fireplace mantel was made of marble, and the chairs around it were also red. They were the softest chairs, but when I really thought about it, we hardly sat in them. Fire was always lit in this room, otherwise we'd all get too cold. Morraine and the baby, who shared a room, had one as well.

The bedspread was a lovely blood-red color and the covers were woven with a pattern of gold and that blood red. All that was missing from this castle was a kingdom beyond it. I laid down, awaiting Rumpelstiltskin. When he came up, using magic to shut and lock the doors behind him, the first thing he did was enhance the flame so it would last all night.

The second, he stared at me.

"What?" I asked, thinking he had something to say.

" Oh nothing..." he came closer to me, climbing into bed and coming within a few inches from my face. "I'm simply admiring how stunning you look in my bed." He kissed me, making me want him again.

That made me smile, even though I don't always admit how apparently pretty I am to him.

"Oh, come now. I'm not _that_ beautiful."

"Oh, I beg to differ, dearie. Yes, you _are_," he whispered before kissing me again, this time coming into the sheets so we were closer. His kiss became so irresistible that after he'd done it to me once again, I had to climb on top of him. I didn't know why, but tonight he was especially appealing to me.

"You're not so bad yourself," I said, smiling, my eyes half open, looking down at him. I felt him pull me down towards him, but once I knew what he wanted, force was not necessary. Unless it was foreplay, which for that reason, force was a turn on...especially when he did it.

He flipped me over so I sank a little into the mattress. I began laughing quietly so I was sure to signal that I was enjoying this. Rumpel gave me that "forceful" look. I knew he was faking it, but it was highly amusing.

"Hm...it appears I'm trapped," I sighed as he held my wrists captive above my head.

"Oh you're trapped all right. The question is, how are you _ever_ going to escape?" he asked.

"Who says I want to?" I shot back, leaning up to catch his lips. After, I leaned back down. He came down onto me, liking where I was taking this. I caught myself unbuttoning his silk-woven golden shirt, exposing his chest to me.

I sighed at the sight, remembering everything from the very beginning. As it all played like a motion picture in my mind, he asked me what I was doing. After temporarily snapping out of it, I think he knew quite well what I was doing.

"You are beautiful, Rumpelstiltskin...truly," I could not believe how entranced I had become. At this, he remained silent, meeting my gaze with a certain stare into my eyes and then to the rest of me beneath him.

We met in the middle with the softest kiss we have ever had, and he began unlacing my loosened corset nightwear. I could not have been more convinced that true love existed than I was in this moment. Everything was natural, slow-paced at first; it was breathtaking.

Nothing else mattered, nothing else existed, nothing else compared to him.

"Maria," Rumpelstiltskin whispered into my ear. "You know, once I start there's no going back..."

Didn't have to tell me twice. Placing my hands on his bare shoulders, I kissed him as sweetly as I could think to have done so. At this point, I truly believed that he finally realized the very thing Belle tried to put into his head.

That someone could _want_ him.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: And it is complete! I know there are gaps, however if I get enough attention for it, I'll do another one of these and we shall see more of Maria in the modern world. But for now, enjoy the last chapter of Sugar and Spite. Thank you to all who have reviewed and please continue to do so :)

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Curse and Epilogue**

Another day passed, and I expected my midsection to hurt something awful that morning. What I didn't expect was to feel as relaxed as I did. Crawling out of bed and seeing Rumpel was not even there with me made lying there seem meaningless. I found him spinning at the wheel, seemingly very happy this morning; though, we had discussed the wheel as well, for the room needed a lot of repairs after what _we_ did to it.

As soon as I entered the room, shuffling my bare feet along the polished wooden floor, his head turned only so I could see half of his face. The spark in his eyes had been what I was waiting to see for too many years to count, and the smirk across his lips was contagious. I smiled back, bowing my head slightly.

Today was particularly peculiar to me, though I had no idea why. We took a walk through town together when I had fully dressed, our hands clasped tightly. I saw him gaze up into the sky a few times, but when I looked, I didn't see anything too different. I felt him looking at me in that same loving way he had before Baelfire was born. Without a care in the world, we kissed right in the middle of the marketplace.

* * *

><p>I found out why my feelings of eccentricity were felt...but not until I chased after Rumpel. Cinderella had captured him that night and locked him tight in a cell. That had only made him worse naturally.<p>

I only found him a month later because the necklace led me straight to him, for I'd begun to seriously worry and miss him. Sometimes he'd disappear for weeks at a time and not tell me, then come home. This I felt was different. I snuck past the guard, simple enough, a key even slipped down my emerald green dress, and I saw where they kept Rumpel in his prison.

He seemed like he had nothing to lose, at least because I was protected.

"She'll unleash her curse," Rumpelstiltskin said in his high-pitched tone once he saw me. "I can tell when I _look at the sky_!" That last part was a little lower, but no less crazier.

"What will this curse do?" I asked, placing my hands on the bars of the cell.

"It will be fierce...Time will trap us, bring us to a horrible place where we will remain until we are saved otherwise. At least, I will," he explained. "...we may also see our son again..." How could I forget that he protected me from this event all those years ago? A curse would bring Bae back too. That's why he was doing this...

"What can I do?" I asked, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Well, I'm in chains, dearie. Look familiar? Snow and her Prince Charming think they have me in here as well...they even asked me about the curse. Only their child can save us. Preparations are probably already taking place, you know the monarchs...the savior's name is Emma," he explained.

I gasped at the thought of this curse now that I knew what it was going to do and that it was happening perhaps within a matter of minutes. His voice became more calm after he heard my own. He looked me in the eyes.

"Don't you worry about me, dearie. I've been promised a comfortable life, and I'm sure a few things will slip past her curse. Can't get rid of history no matter how hard you try, even with magic. You can return if you like, but you may come and go as you please."

The whole time he told me this, he was still in his dream-like state of mind. I took the key in my pocket I snagged like old times and accompanied him in the cell he was confined to. The door swung wide open and I approached him. The golden thread around my neck began to glisten in the darkness, shrouding me in a vail of mist. Rumpelstiltskin smiled at my actions, staring at me with an awe and sort of mystical gleam.

"It's coming..." he said, reaching for my hands. I took his, tears present, and I came close to him, grasping him tightly, never wanting to let go.

"I will not have as much of my power in this new land, none in fact. This is a land without magic...like Bae always wanted. Protect yourself well, and do your best not to forget me," he told me.

"Impossible," I replied, kissing him for what felt like the last time, and then I clutched to him, resting my head on his chest, inhaling his scent. My eyes clasped shut, afraid to open again...


End file.
